Tweeting a deluge: Understanding the use of social networking site content by journalists during a natural disaster

Abstract

This research examines the extent to which journalists assert narrative control over content from social networking sites during disaster events, using the Toronto flooding that occurred on July 8, 2013 as a case study. Using the theory of the disaster marathon narrative outlined by Liebes (1998), this research uses a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative research approaches to understand how the visual and linguistic elements of the news coverage worked together to generate meaning. The research reveals that the content selected from social networking sites generally served to reinforce the disaster narrative, as conceptualized by Liebes (1998). However, it was observed that the integration of some content from public stakeholders (i.e. police, hydro organizations) served to counteract the typical disaster narrative. This research contributes to the body of discourse analytic research dedicated to understanding the interactive practices between social networking sites and ‘traditional’ journalism.