Sensationalist media reporting of disastrous events: Implications for tourism

Repeatedly in the tourism literature, reference is made to the negative implications of sensationalist media reporting of disasters on destination image. This assumption is yet to be empirically examined and there is a distinct lack of information in terms of the reporting approach used by national and global media, and their portrayal of disastrous events and the tourism destinations in which they take place. The primary objective of this paper is to examine how destinations affected by disastrous events are portrayed by the media in their coverage of the event. The content of 260 print and online media articles that reported the Blue Mountains Bushfires, a small scale disaster that occurred in 2011, is examined. Findings suggest that the media's representation or misrepresentation of this particular disaster may contribute to the estimated loss of over $100 million in tourism related revenue experienced by this destination. Implications for the tourism industry regarding affective media management are presented.