Flashes of Invisibility: Analyzing Gaps in Lightning Incident Coverage in Indian Media

Abstract

This study, “Flashes of Invisibility: Analyzing Gaps in Lightning Incident Coverage in Indian Media,” has identified some critical gaps in the reporting of lightning strikes by the media from news articles. This content analysis by using keywords “Lightning,” “Electrified (or struck by lightning),” and “Lightning strike” in Bengali shows that media headlines more often than not feature human-interest stories, almost as if the significance of lightning as a direct cause of death was of secondary importance.  The saturation with stock photos and the scarcity of follow-up reports further reduce the chance of raising public awareness on the safety procedures involved. This research focusses on government measures or preventative steps that will reduce the number of deaths, therefore losing out on the majority of possibilities to educate and protect vulnerable people. The geographic bias in media reporting on the disaster also came out in this study, as some places were emphasized more than others. That is why more adequate and proactive reporting procedures were actually called for by these results. Highlighting an information distribution for prevention, display of actual photographs of happenings, and continuous coverage—most especially in rural areas where lightning strikes most frequently. This would really boost public awareness and may just save some lives. On top of teaching societies about the dangers it is facing, this will arm them with the knowledge to reduce the dangers presented by stormy weather.