Newspaper reporting of the April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise part 1: useful information or tabloid sensationalism?

Abstract

During March, April and May 2007 the local newspaper for the island of La Réunion, "Le Journal de L'Ile de La Réunion" (JIR), published 427 articles relating to natural hazards, with hazard-related articles occupying a total paper area of 21.94 m 2 and appearing in all but four of the 90 editions of the newspaper. This high level of coverage was due to the passage of two cyclones in March, the largest historical eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in April, and a major rock fall event in May. The high level of coverage may also be due to the fact that JIR is a tabloid that follows tabloid news values. Cyclones, volcanic eruptions and rock falls fit the news values of a tabloid well, especially when the stories involve the power elite, feature stories of human interest, include surprise elements and rescues, and are of high impact, especially to the local population. Disasters also provide spectacular imagery and the opportunity for eye-catching headlines, which is another element of the tabloid format. These key parameters thus all flag stories about natural hazards and, in particular, volcanic eruptions as being newsworthy for a tabloid. Of the page space devoted to natural hazards, 9.24 m 2 (42%) were set aside to reporting of volcanic activity, specifically the April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise. We completed a content analysis of these reports to understand the quality of information disseminated to the readership and to extract data regarding the impact of the eruption on local communities. We found the information to be of extremely high quality, with lava reporting being the most important issue covered by page area, mostly due to its photogenic nature. If we consider textdominated reports, and exclude photo-montages, then the order of importance in terms of space set aside to reporting of a particular theme becomes: (i) general eruption details; (ii) summit collapse; (iii) lava flows; (iv) evacuation; (v) gas; (vi) ocean-entry; (v) air fall; (vi) vegetation fires (lit by lava contact); and (vii) volcano-seismicity. As the eruption and the nature of the hazard evolved (from lava flow through air-fall and gas, to summit collapse and ocean-entry) so too did the focus of the reporting. Once the eruption had finished, emphasis shifted from the hardships of the impacted community to sightseeing and tourism. We found that the quality of the reporting resulted from the use of journalists who were specialized in their reporting areas and who therefore knew the background and the correct sources to seek out for information. This shows that a well-informed journalist can be (i) a means to disseminate information and educate an impacted population, and (ii) a source of information for the volcanologist regarding societal impacts of, and population responses to, natural hazards.

Media views of the Stromboli 2002–2003 eruption and evacuation: a content analysis to understand framing of risk communication during a volcanic crisis

“…Position of the article in the newspaper itself can also determine the impact, e.g., front page versus inner pages (Harris, 2015). The same can be applied to images, which will advertise the main subject (Naccarato and Neuendorf, 1998), where the size, positioning (on the page), placement (in the newspaper) and selection of imagery are all quantifiable metrics, as are the number and length of words in associated headlines (Harris and Villeneuve, 2018b). Qualitative analysis can then be applied to examine what different meanings emerge as a result of selecting and using-and then linking within sentences, paragraphs and articles-certain information, words and/or images (Nuenendorf, 2002).…”

“…Placement also influences the importance given to the news by the public, for example, whether the event is reported on the front page versus an inside page in a newspaper (Harris, 2015). Further, the type of words and imagery used to portray the topic will aid in setting the event frame (Harris and Villeneuve, 2018b). In filtering risk communication, the media will thus provide a fundamental role in setting the frame for the natural disaster, as well as the way scientists and hazard management specialists and their communications are perceived (Harris et al, 2012).…”

Reappraisal of gap analysis for effusive crises at Piton de la Fournaise

“…1 c), these being in April 1977, March–April 1986 and August–September 1998 (Stieltjes and Moutou 1989 ; Lénat and Bachèlery 1988 , 1990 ; Lénat et al 1989 , 2012 ; Villeneuve and Bachèlery 2006 ; Peltier et al 2009 ; Tanguy et al 2011 ; Michon et al 2013 , 2015 ). Of these three Hors Enclos eruptions, only two (April 1977, March–April 1986) were associated with lava flows that threatened populated areas, impacting towns located more than 10 km from the summit and leading to evacuation (Stieltjes and Moutou 1989 ; Villeneuve and Bachèlery 2006 ; Harris and Villeneuve 2018a , b ).…”

Lava flow hazard map of Piton de la Fournaise volcano 

“…At Etna, Favalli et al (2005) observed a linear relationship between the altitude of the main vent and the maximum possible length of the associated flow. Another method is based on the empirical relationship between the average effusion rate during an eruption (i.e., mean output rate, MOR: total volume erupted divided by the duration of the eruption; Harris et al, 2007) and the length of the flow (Walker, 1973). Alternatively, expected cooling-limited flow lengths can be calculated using a thermo-rheological model, such as FLOWGO (Harris and Rowland, 2001).…”