The information cycle concerns the way information is produced and disseminated, considering the changes it undergoes over time. The coverage of any piece of information is related with the amount of time after the occurrence of an event. On the 29th of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy came ashore in New Jersey and the storm caused some damage along the coast. This essay explores the progression of media coverage in regards to Hurricane Sandy as provided in three different articles.
Barron, in his article “Sharp Warnings as Hurricane Churns In,” sensitizes the possibility of the disruption of the hurricane. Notably, this article turned up prior to the disaster and its aim was to individuals in the Northeast. The author works with predictions mainly where he states that the National Hurricane Center was expecting the “storm to swing inland, probably on Monday evening” (Barron para 4). At this stage, there is no assurance that there will even be a storm although Science here played a big role to save the lives of people. The information here mainly aims to speak to the public and businesses about an impending hurricane and the actions they would take to avoid being affected. In my opinion, the mentioning of the then President Obama is to depict how serious the forecasters were on the storm. Another purpose of this article is to inform the U.S. citizens about the possible occurrence of a national disaster.
In another article published a few days after the occurrence of Hurricane Sandy mainly addresses the difference between the expectation of the forecasters and the actual event. Homans argues that while the expectations were for a potential Halloween hurricane, it was quite calm although there was another twist reported. Unexpectedly, the hurricane dissected and the result was the occurrence was for two storms (Homans). Homans article is more informative and mainly deals with facts. He also gives an overview on how the storm actually took place. The audience in this article are the citizens who were in panic and anticipated to know the amount of property destroyed. Important to realize, people who had evacuated were anxious to receive updates about the aspects observed with the storm and this article sustained their eagerness.
Two years later, another article was published on the same hurricane. The main argument is that it resulted in a huge impact on life and destruction of property. For instance, it led to flooding in the tunnels of the city which affected its transit system as well as the coastal seashore (Wang, Loftis and Liu). I believe the target audience in this article are researchers and the government. The information is more detailed and would be helpful in future preparations on the possible occurrence of a similar disaster. Here, the authors purposed the article for research and education elements.
To sum up, there has been great information progression since the occurrence of hurricane sandy as time went by. The first article only dealt with mere forecasting and predictions based on science. Consequently, the information only served to warn and inform. The second article is more detailed and factual since it dwells on an event that has already occurred. Finally, the last article is very informative and deals with real facts well researched. Therefore, it turns out as the most reliable source of information about Hurricane Sandy.
Works Cited
Barron, James. Sharp Warnings as Hurricane Churns In. 28 October 2012. 28 February 2018. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/us/east-coast-braces-for-severe-storm-surge.html>.
Homans, John. The City and the Storm. 4 November 2012. 28 February 2018. <http://nymag.com/news/features/hurricane-sandy-2012-11/>.
Wang, Harry V, et al. “The Storm Surge and Sub-Grid Inundation Modeling in New York City during Hurricane Sandy.” Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2.1 (2014): 226-246. <10.3390/jmse2010226>.
