title: Sequestering of suffering: critical discourse analysis of natural disaster media coverage.
abstract: This article is a critical discourse analysis of the local print-news media coverage of the recovery process in two rural communities following a devastating forest fire. Two hundred and fifty fire-related articles from the North Thompson Star Journal (2003) were analyzed. Results revealed a neoliberal discursive framing of recovery, emphasizing the economic-material aspects of the process and a reliance on experts. A sequestering of suffering discourse promoted psychological functionalism and focused attention on a return to normalcy through the compartmentalization of distress. The dominant 'voice' was male, authoritative, and institutionalized. Implications for disaster recovery and potential health consequences are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Robin S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Bonita C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Megan I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Risa J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Handler
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D004190:Disasters; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D033262:Narration