Empirical examination of the theory of disaster marathon: A case study of the local television coverage following the 2014 Ludian, China earthquake

Abstract

ABSTRACTDisaster marathon was proposed by media communication scholars to differentiate the genre of disaster television broadcasting from media events. However, its theoretical framework is limited by its omission of findings from disaster social science literature, and its lack of examinations of marathons of domestic natural disasters. Using the August 2014 Yunnan (China) Television Station broadcast The Special Report on the August 3 Earthquake in Ludian, Yunnan, we conduct a qualitative content analysis to empirically examine the disaster marathon concept for natural disasters. During the content analysis, three themes emerge: authorities’ command and control, the involvement of armed forces, and convergence of social support. Our case study findings contradict the disaster marathon conceptualization and conclude that the local television coverage following a natural disaster can also be performed as a series of conventional media events and is consistent with the established disaster coverage literature.