Journalists are humans,too: A phenomenology of covering the strongest storm on earth

Abstract

This study focused on the phenomenology of covering a natural disaster by documenting the lived experience of 12 national and local journalists who covered Typhoon Haiyan when it hit the Philippines in November 2013. Studies that focused on journalists who covered natural disasters have identified their experiences as either journalists trying to balance their norms or as victims dealing with trauma. Our analysis brings these experiences together for a more holistic description of the experience of covering a natural disaster, arguing that one aspect of the experience cannot be understood without the other. Through an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study found that the journalists experienced the storm as journalists, leaders, victims, and as community members. Such experiences were marked by liminal gaps, with one experience affecting the other.