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Severe Weather Coverage: A Comparative Content Analysis of Tennessee and Mississippi based Local Television Broadcaster’s Tornado Warning Communication.
Kathy Sherman-Morris, Mississippi State University
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Abstract
Even though many individuals receive tornado warning messages first through smartphone alerts, local television is still an important source to help individuals understand their personal risk from tornadoes. While there are several studies that have examined severe weather alerts and short messages through mass media, there is a lack of research available that focused on the content of local television broadcasters’ warning coverages. This study attempts to fill gaps in our knowledge regarding the content of the hours of coverage devoted to tornado warning communication each year by closely examining two local television news stations’ coverage of two separate events from 3rd March 2020 and 19th April 2020. We explored the content for several elements based on past research including types of radar products, coverage scale, jargon, recommendations for protective action, and messages related to lead time and locations.
Severe Weather Coverage: A Comparative Content Analysis of Tennessee and Mississippi based Local Television Broadcaster’s Tornado Warning Communication.
