Two of a kind : comparing photographic media coverage for Hurricanes Katrina and Ike.

Both media and the United States government received much criticism for the way that they handled their responses to Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in New Orleans in 2005. The government was criticized for a slow, seemingly apathetic response, while the media were criticized for sensationalizing the news, spreading untrue information, and unfairly depicting the minority population in the role of the victim. Three years later, a similar storm named Hurricane Ike approached Houston and people feared for the worst. Houston’s government was prepared for this storm, and the loss of life was much less severe. Since the government changed its approach to dealing with such a natural disaster, would the media as well? This study seeks to analyze the front pages of newspapers from across the United States, looking closely at the featured photographs. Placement, size, and subject of the photographs will be analyzed.