(wl-1092)-Sensitisation to Sensationalisation: (Mis)Representations of the Live-Streamed Cyclone Dana

This essay critically reflects on the media coverage of Cyclone Dana and its impacts on the eastern coast of India. It highlights a shift from sensitisation about disasters to sensationalisation of disasters as an emerging trend in news reporting. Based on fieldwork and personal reflections, it reveals how sensationalised narratives misrepresent the everyday lives of coastal populations and paradoxically result in disaster tourism. As live coverage of crisis and urgency is emphasized over the real, predominant and recurrent issues of the coastal inhabitants, the gravity of the situation is silenced. Voices of Sagar islanders reflect the anguish of everyday destruction and frustrations of administrative ineffectiveness on pertinent issues. The essay foregrounds the processes of silencing and invisiblisation of the coastal inhabitants in the media portrayal of disasters. It concludes that there is a critical need for more nuanced and responsible media coverage that acknowledges the layered impacts of disasters. By fostering a more profound and contextualised understanding of the lived experiences of the inhabitants, media can act as a source of empathy and solidarity.