Last night; Saturday the 28th, 10 people died in a string of car crashes on a Florida interstate because of low visibility due to a nearby wildfire. Interstate I-75 was closed down in both directions as crews worked to clear out the 70 or more vehicles that were included in this debacle. The media outlets Foxnews, MSNBC, and CNN all covered the story; this story is currently the top article for all three news stations. Each of the news stations describes the incident, the cause, and a death and injury toll. In addition to the text material, the websites also include pictures of the event. CNN takes this one step further by adding a video link to WKMG, a CBS network affiliate for Central Florida, which had helicopter video footage of the accident aftermath. MSNBC includes a link to the local Florida paper, The Gainesville Sun; which includes more information of the hospitalization of those involved as well as quotes from local law enforcement. Each of the websites uses law enforcement and victim quotes to help describe the event and its cause; however, each of the news stations used the quotes in a slightly different way. The quotes from MSNBC and Foxnews seemed to be from the victim’s perspective but were based in facts and disruptive about the situation itself. Whereas CNN used quotes that had much more felling; these quotes gave the news article a more personal and emotional tone unlike the professional, sterile tone of other two articles.
Although this story is factual rather than based on opinion and the three news outlets contain most of the same information; there are still some differences between Foxnews, MSNBC, and CNN as they take slightly different approaches on writing the article. MSNBC and Foxnews seem to be writing the story with a more professional feel. The news stations are reporting only the facts that describe the situation with no artistic flair to help over dramatize an already dramatic story. In direct opposition, CNN decided to take a more emotional and dramatic approach to their writing style as the y descried the event. In addition to the facts of the event, they also included descriptions of people crying, the feeling of the events, and the account of one victim see another die. They used words like “chaos” an d “crazy” to describe the events from the participants point of view. While CNN focused on the descriptive writing style, Foxnews and MSNBC concentrated their efforts on research. Both news stations wrote about a past accident similar in nature that occurred almost 4 years ago on different highway in Florida. The addition of this information creates the feeling that there is a history and a pattern to this type of incident; not merely a random event. The connection between the events builds an interest in the reader. Each of the stories connects with the audience; however CNN does it with emotion and Foxnews and MSNBC do it with the facts, past and present.
The majority of the information contained in these three different articles was very similar. The story did not leave much room for speculation or biased material as it was a tragic event that took place; not a political move by a controversial candidate or a teen being shot by police. Each station did however, allude to a controversy. Each of the news stations did include a paragraph about the road being previously closed due to low visibility because of the fires. Each article includes a statement from law enforcement officers that the visibility increased and the improved conditions prompted them to reopen the road to traffic. All of the accidents happened after this call to reopen the highway. As the incident is investigated further, it is inevitable that each station will follow up to determine of this event was avoidable and if human error lead to the deaths of the 10 individuals. Each of the stations touched on the facts of the event, testimonials from the victims and law enforcement, and death and injury totals. Even though there were some differences in the style that the stations wrote the articles, they regarded equally important by each of the news outlets and were considered a priority story by all three. Although the information given on these three main news stations may have not been as detail oriented as the local newspaper The Gainesville Sun, they all provided adequate coverage of the event to the public without too many differences or bias.
References
http://www.cnn.com
Florida interstate crashes 'horrendous,' victim says; 9 dead
By the CNN Wire Staff
http://www.foxnews.com
At least 9 dead in crashes on Florida highway amid heavy smoke
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
10 killed, 20 hurt in Fla. highway pile-ups
