Loren Saxton's Master's thesis, "Katrina's Story: a narrative analysis of news coverage and FEMA's crisis response strategies," was successfully defended on April 14, 2010. Please wish her well as she enters her doctoral program at the Grady College, University of Georgia--Athens.
Brief description of findings: Grounded theory suggests that as levels of categorization and analysis progress, new research questions emerge. Indeed, rather than establishing a link between news releases and news articles that conveyed a shift in crisis response strategies relative to the emergence of Katrina's narrative, this study identified consistencies in language, tone and themes within news articles and news releases. This study revealed that after Katrina, the functions of public relations and journalism were similar: both emphasized Katrina's effects on national and local economies, while ignoring inherent social divisions based on race and class.
Photo caption: Loren Saxton with friend
