Media portrayal of Northeast Snow Storms

Another week has flown by, and storms continue to thrash and bash New England. Every year there seems to be one area in the nations that is the hardest hit and media is always there to cover the event. However over the past few years I’ve just come to expect the media hyping up a storm or an area that will receive it the majority of the front. I’ve come to expect it and I don’t necessarily live in an area that receives a ton of snow. This got me wondering what do those in new England, the area hit hardest by the majority of the snowstorms this winter have to say about all of the media coverage and the storms themselves?

“Monster storm Blasts Boston” is the name of the title of a video which can be found on accuwweather.com talking about he most recent storm in the new England Boston area. From the outside looking in on one of these storms one could easily assume that everything influencing a person’s daily life would be impacted by the storm. One could see cars crashed into snow banks or houses covered up past their ground floor windows. I would assume mass panic in the streets after hearing statements such as “record snowfall in Boston” or “ 6 feet of snow.“ However once the snow clears and news teams start to really report what is happening and not just hyping up the event for ratings.  

 

We can all see that, yes there is a bunch of snow and one would expect to see cars in snowdrifts along with other regular winter events, but it is never to the extent that you would expect after hearing the reports before the storm. After the storm people in the area are of course interviewed and some of their opinions shocked me. In some interviews by CNN of course report people stating things along the lines that the roads are too dangerous to travel on stating that two lane roads are now one lane and cars are covered with the snow pushed aside by snow plows to make streets assessable. Some families have stated that their weekly routine has been ruined by the past 2 weeks of snow. I asked myself when viewing this interview, this is only one person what does everyone else feel? I expected something different than what I found.

There is no denying that the situation in the new England area is a nightmare to say the least, but some residence in the area are looking at the situation with a little bit of a positive attitude. WWLP,  a news agency based in spring field Massachusetts but is covering the storm in Boston; conducted interviews wth people around the city. These people did not seem upset rather they used statements such as “you’ve just got to deal with it. There is no point in getting angry.” And “It’s the north what do you expect?” Now to me its seems that based on this that not everyone is bitter about the storm. It seems more likely to me that news reporters are finding those they want to interview that would give them the best possible ratings.

This realization frustrated me a little if I am to be honest. We expect to receive accurate opinions from a wide range of individuals in the New England area but we are left with only one view from one new agency. It isn’t effective reporting just to get the most frantic person to complain about the storm and then have your audience to assume everyone thinks that way.

Following all of these interviews has lead me to realize that in order to get an accurate understanding of any weather situation its to personally ask someone from that area. They will most likely give you a non-media influenced answer and show you exactly what really is happening.

-Adam Gorgos

Weather Channel

Weather Channel: Good or Bad Hype

By Lee Davis

February 8^th 2015

 

Weather Channel Logo

Growing up I thought the Weather Channel was a reliable source of weather forecasting. Over the past several years I have begun to think otherwise. Weather Channel is turning into a drama show, of hyped up forecasting and headlines. Now I’m not saying that the Weather Channel is not reliable at all, but I do question their forecasting sometimes. Weather Channel has come under fire lately from people who say that they hype forecasts for TV ratings. This may be true as of lately. Their winter forecast predictions have been wrong most of the time this winter. At the same time, their coverage of major severe weather events have saved numerous lives and changed the way we look at Weather Forecasting. Weather Channels use of forecast hype can be viewed in both a negative and positive way.

Why People do people like the Weather Channel?

“Huge Storm to Affect South” is not a headline you want to see. But are these headlines telling the truth? Many positives and negatives come from headlines such as these. Lets start with the positives. First this headline is good because its gets the viewers attention, because it is so powerful. It makes the viewer aware that something huge is coming, which gives the people time to prepare. Time to prepare means getting supplies such as milk, bread and the main essentials for survival during a major event. It makes people plan ahead. Road crews can begin to prepare for the event. The government revolves around these forecasts in case of a major event. Lives are saved by headlines like these. An example of a positive effect of the Weather Channel Forecast is the Pilger Nebraska Event on June 16^th 2014. The event in Pilger, NE was one of the worse severe events of 2014. Coverage of these events such as Pilger save numerous lives. When you feel in danger, many people turn on the Weather Channel for coverage of the event. The Weather Channel strives to keep great coverage for major events such as these. In this event, storm chasers reported to the weather channel what was going on minute by minute. The attitude of the Weather Channel broadcasters was firm and positive. They stayed on the storm till the end of the event. There are many other things that keeps the Weather Channel on the top of weather forecasting.  The Weather Channel also has a good use of Weather Graphics. They get your attention with these colorful graphics. Along with this the Weather Channel has a huge lineup of Meteorologists, such as Severe Weather Expert Greg Forbes and Jim Cantore. With so many big names it’s hard for the Weather Channel to lose their popularity.

The Nebraska severe weather event was one of the most powerful events of the year in weather. The Weather Channel had great coverage of the event. Coverage like this saves lives.

Why don’t people like the Weather Channel?

Big titles such as “Huge Storm to affect the South” has a negative connotation as well. When you see a headline like this, businesses cancel the workday, schools close and people go out and buy the necessities to survive. But what if the forecast is wrong? This title can negatively affect the economy. But these headlines don’t hurt the ratings of the Weather Channel they help them. Why? It grabs your attention. It says hey look over here, a huge storm will affect your area.  Before the storm strikes these headlines gain ratings, but if the forecast is wrong ratings go down because who would want to trust the Weather Channel after a huge bust.  The Weather Channel is a national source of weather and can be viewed on any tv with basic cable. It is not a local source of forecasting. It gains views from different parts of the country even ones that are not affected by the event. A current example of bad forecast hype was the Blizzard that affected the North during early January 2015. The storm was called to be historic. New York City was supposed to receive a record 20-30 inches.

New York City received only 7 inches. Many people were upset that the event was a bust. Long Island received upwards of 20 inches of snow. It’s hard to predict the weather perfectly. There is always going to be that forecast that is wrong and people must move on.

A graphic for the predicted snow totals for Winter Storm Juno. The storm was mainly a bust for New York City, but places like Long Island received 20 inches.

Synopsis

            Forecasting is hard thing to do, especially to get right. People underestimate the challenge of forecasting. Even the most advanced meteorologists get the forecast wrong because Mother Nature is unpredictable sometimes. Even though the Weather Channel has had their bad moments of hyping weather forecasts, we must focus on their good moments of hyping up Weather Forecasts. Weather forecasts and live coverage of events such as the Nebraska Tornado event of June saved countless lives. Coverage like this warns people and tells them to take cover. Weather Forecasts will be wrong time to time and we must accept that. The guessing game will continue.  May the weather hype continue… -LD

2 Tornadoes Spin over the Nebraska Countryside on June 16th 2014. The tornadoes captured the attention of the Meteorology Community.

Weather Hype: Good or Bad?

FORECAST HYPE
By Andy
February 1st 2015 

Recently much has been said in the news about weather forecasting, in particular incorrect forecasting. Much of this incorrect forecasting is the cause of Media hype. With so many news outlets these days, and so many different opinions it is hard to find one that you can trust. Many news events are hyped up by big news stations such as CNN, FOX, NBC, and HLN. Much of this hype comes from the need for higher TV ratings. Big headlines such as “Deadly Blizzard and Record Breaking event” really get the viewers attention but are these headlines accurate? Is the media looking for the real answers or are they falsely giving headlines to boost Ratings? Most recently the “2015 Blizzard” was hyped up by big weather outlets such as Weather Channel. Weather hype has both its positives and negatives.

 

Mother nature is beautiful, but at certain points she isn’t to be messed with. Her most unpredictable quality is the weather. Weather and climate conditions affect all aspects of life on earth. With this being said it is important for us to utilize our resources of the twenty-first century to be as accurate as we can when predicting the forecast. For many people, predicting the weather through observation has been a necessary part of life. Having a “heads-up” that there will be a hurricane most likely would save lives. This is the type of weather forecasting that is beneficial, the kind with little to no “hype” and that actually focuses on subject matter. 

Society has done a pretty solid job thus far with establishing institutions that can put out a forewarning of the weather events of a particular day. For instance, there is a Facebook page that posts school cancellations. This is a vital resource for parents, students, and teachers alike. Not to mention the benefit it offers small business and the local economy; of knowing if you need to open today, or stay closed because there is going to be three feet of snow. In the web article "Does the Weather Channel hype or help during storms?” from the blog of Irene Nolan, she talks about how the Weather channels Jim Cantore hyped the coastal town of Hatteras and surrounding outer banks area, into thinking a major hurricane was about to make landfall. Here's what happened in Irene’s words: "However, the charge from many local businesses was that The Weather Channel hyped this storm with Cantore’s reporting from the beach, where the breeze was hardly blowing, and that having the cable network around is bad for business.” 

As far as people are concerned not many know how to predict their own weather, Because of this they rely on the weather forecasters. These forecasters are almost never 100 percent in their predictions.

Now, because most people rely on the forecasters, they plan their day based on the prediction they see on television, social media etc. If the forecasters are wrong, most people are going to have a bad time. For example, if the weather calls for three feet of snow, like in New York, businesses will shut down, and schools will close. If they were wrong, businesses are closed and the workers aren’t working, if that happens businesses aren’t making money and then that affects the workers because aren’t getting paid. This whole process gives off a big chain reaction effect. If schools are closed that forces most parents to stay at home and not be able to go to work if their job didn’t close already. Once again you see the whole chain reaction coming into effect. Because everything is closing, anyone who feels “unprepared” goes into a frantic stage of anxiety and panic. They basically raid the stores to get everything they need. Although it may be good for the economy (see positives), it could potentially be dangerous for anyone trying to get something from the store while everybody is crowding and scrambling trying to get the last : shovel, salt bags, etc.. While people are out and about others are inside panicking becoming nervous wrecks, not knowing what to do. All this can be the result of an over hyped weather forecast. This does not only apply to winter storms but also other such as tropical storms and hurricanes.

 “Weather is a driving force everywhere”. Having the correct weather forecast means a lot. It affects your daily life, the economy, your attitude and many other things. Weather forecasting is hyped up sometimes, and can be both negative and positive. Since Weather hype has been a huge talk among weather enthusiasts, chasers and meteorologists, we felt it was necessary to talk about this growing topic.

Andy. Until Next Week