We’ve been harping on local media for dropping the ball when it comes to coverage of tornado devastation in Kentucky. The focus has primarily been on Henryville, Indiana because it’s in the metro area.
We thought things would change. But. Uh. Not so much. All you ever hear is, “Henryville, Henryville, Henryville.” Despite damage in Kentucky being far worse.
Then we saw this story about an elementary school reopening in Jake’s hometown of West Liberty. Quick and easy. A blip on the radar.
Didn’t take long to notice some of the comments on the story:
And then we were reminded why no one had a clue such a disaster had taken place in their very own state: because local media (not singling out FOX41/WDRB/whatever) only focused on the quick and easy.
It’s why Henryville will have everything it needs to recover. The area will likely be rebuilt in a matter of months. While the majority of damaged areas in Eastern Kentucky will be suffering years from now. Much of it will never be rebuilt. And no one in the metro area will be any wiser.
15 responses so far ↓
1 G'town Reader // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:22 am
Not only could our local office of the National Weather Service OBSERVE storm conditions AS THEY WERE HAPPENING in our own “viewing” area, as did our on-air meteorologists, but we also had a stream of folks who were actually EXPERIENCING the weather immediately giving feedback – details, photos, descriptions, reactions – to our area thru Facebook, Twitter, etc. That very IMMEDIACY drove much of the media response.
2 oos1969 // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:23 am
Hey Jake, I have some students who want to do a project involving books for kids, and I can’t seem to get through to anyone at the Morgan County Board of Education? If you have any contacts, can you let me know if they have books damaged and could use children’s books?
3 jake // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:34 am
G’town: The same sort of “immediacy” took place with West Liberty. I had photos, videos and first-hand accounts from folks within an hour – which is a big feat, I think, considering how rural and screwed up WL was after the storm. Henryville was just quick and convenient, pure and simple. Not rural. 15min from the city. Yadda yadda. Made for a good story.
oos: Feel free to email me privately.
4 G'town Reader // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:37 am
On Apr. 3, 1974 we were cowering in our basement while sirens & radio warnings (in a less technically advanced day) told residents to seek immediate shelter from tornadoes heading towards us. From a basement window we saw the ominous cloud approaching with a funnel dipping & sagging toward the ground. After it was momentarily safe to come out from under the workbench, we tried to phone our families to assure them of our safety. It was a couple hours before we finally got through on our land line to our land-line-equipped parents. Who immediately screamed to us that THEY were okay. Jake, you see, we lived in Cincinnati, while our parents & grandparents, etc. lived in Louisville. NEITHER part of the family realized that the OTHERS’ CITY had also been hit.
5 G'town Reader // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:52 am
Jake, did you quickly repost your info & pics on the FB pages of all the local news outlets? (Actually, most victims over a certain age need time to process their horror or the magnitude or even their good fortune before informing strangers.)
6 Jack // Mar 21, 2012 at 12:03 pm
No excuses. Even though it’s not in the metro warning area, a crew(s) should have been and still should be there. I have been checking out Lexington channels online. WKYT,WLEX, and WTVQ. There may be others.
7 jake // Mar 21, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Why would I give my material to local media? They all follow me on Twitter, read these sites and many are Facebook friends. Most in the mainstream were communicating with me 24/7 and there was STILL very little information rolling out from them.
8 Donna // Mar 21, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I know it has to be exasperating for the people in West Liberty to keep hearing “Henryville, Henryville, Henryville.” I’m sure the people of Pekin, Nabb, and Marysville probably feel the same way.
9 John Q Public // Mar 21, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Jake and I clash on things from time to time, but on this he is 100% correct. The lack of news coverage for Kentuckians hit by the storm, and the lack of resources and donations going to Kentucky communities is deplorable.
His website was one of the only ways to find out about the extensive damage and problems in West Liberty and other eastern Kentucky communities.
10 tr skeptic // Mar 21, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Whas 11′s anchors were so obsessed with being the FIRST station to air a body count. “Death Proffit” and” Mortica Swan” badgered Indiana officials for hours. Northern and eastern KY with confirmed deaths by the KSP were barely mentioned.
11 Rob Mattheu // Mar 21, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Bill Lamb had me shaking my head with his defense that West Liberty was out of our market. At the very least they could have borrowed video from a Lexington station.
12 Rob Mattheu // Mar 21, 2012 at 10:19 pm
And I say this after seeing they sent Elizabeth to LA for the Hunger Games interviews.
13 jake // Mar 21, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Bill can play pat-a-cake with excuses all he wants.
Here’s the long and short of it: West Liberty will cost Louisville tens of millions of dollars. Because it’s in the same state. Louisville pays most of Kentucky’s taxes. So. Guess what we’re paying for? West Liberty’s recovery.
If Lamb’s station can cover state politics, it should have been covering West Liberty from the beginning. Primarily because it’s going to be a huge deal for years to come.
14 G'town Reader // Mar 22, 2012 at 9:48 am
Has any company connected with running that correctional facility stepped up to help the West Liberty community?
15 jake // Mar 22, 2012 at 9:51 am
It’s not a privately operated facility…?
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