Larry D. Lauer

The benefits are clear: The latest technology tracks storms more accurately than ever. Potential victims get early warnings and important information. Dramatic pictures underscore the seriousness of the situation. Big events such as this deliver large audiences for scientists to tell us what they are discovering about global warming and increasing numbers of intense storms. And the general audience gets to have a vicarious experience of the turmoil without suffering the consequences.

But there also can be unintended consequences for those destined to be victims. Early warning information can be misleading. As accurate as tracking has become, it usually changes at the last-minute. Many can wind up in traffic jams, without enough food, water and fuel, and headed in the wrong direction. And when power is lost they can be out of touch. Can better preparation long before a storm be helpful?

For example, could a digital device with a supply of extra batteries be developed for potential victims that can keep them in constant communication with officials wherever they are? And could people living in storm-prone areas be given an official list and then required to certify that they have stock-piled essential supplies, located already assigned shelters, and rehearsed appropriate responses?

When it comes to the larger mass audience TV producers just can’t resist dramatic possibilities. For example, is it really necessary for journalists to wade into deep and debris-filled flooded areas, expose themselves to blinding wind blasts, stand out in sheets of rain pounding down on their heads, and getting way too close to life-threatening walls of surging water… all while shouting out play-by-play commentary? And is it really necessary for meteorologists surrounded by science-fiction looking apparatus to be giving out the same information over and over, hour after hour. When presented at a fast pace, watching all this can be hypnotic and mesmerizing. But it also is emotionally exhausting and stress producing for many. Wouldn’t regularly scheduled updates be responsible enough news reporting?

Of course, keeping people glued to their screens is the life-blood of 24/7 cable channels. But when main stream broadcasters join in the nonstop coverage it’s easy to see how competition increases to find the most spectacular images. So wouldn’t it be wise for us to now step back and review what actually works best for the victims, and for the larger television audience?

The best use of television and film I believe is to produce after-the-fact news documentaries. This is when entire true stories can be told as stand-alone dramatic presentations with specific lessons to teach. Documentaries can explain how rescue teams work, how neighborhoods can become fertile ground for producing terrorists , or even how 9/11 firefighters became victims themselves. Using television and film to tell these kinds of stories can be dramatic without being misleading.

In an age when a bad-mouthed reality TV star with no governing experience can become president, we obviously still have a lot to learn about this bewildering medium… its positive benefits, and its potential harmful psychic and social consequences.