Preparing for the Worst: Lessons for News Media After Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

Hurricane Maria (2017) was the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico in the last 90 years. The entire communication system collapsed, including cellular. Media organizations in Puerto Rico, with the exception of one radio station, were unable to transmit much-needed information during and immediately after Maria made landfall. This study examines changes in journalistic practices, organizational readiness and disaster coverage plans, and infrastructure preparedness almost 18 months after the event. This study extends the limited research examining long-term changes to news media preparedness plans in the context of disasters and expands theoretical understandings of media practices in the context of the hierarchy of influences model. The results suggest that infrastructure damage severely hampered the ability of news organizations to perform their work, but solidarity among media was useful in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Each media played a differentiated and important role after the disaster based on their resources and organizational structure. The study shows that preparedness plans were inadequate and that changes are slowly been implemented to deal with challenges related to infrastructure, electricity, and technology, but with limited focus on the long-term well-being of media workers. Recommendations to improve responses to future natural disasters are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Puerto Rico
• hurricane Maria
• disaster reporting
• crisis communication
• natural hazards

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Mariazell Vélez of the Overseas Press Club for her assistance in scheduling interviews with news organizations in Puerto Rico. Thanks to all the participants and news media in Puerto Rico that risk everything to bring much needed information to Puerto Ricans during the worst of times.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora are owned by the GFR media group. The newspapers share the same newsroom.

2 http://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2018/09/145027/.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (grant number #1824976); Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation.