Local news sentiment towards FEMA recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence in North Carolina

Newspaper sentiment and framing have the power to represent and inform public opinion on a variety of important issues. This study examines local news articles after Hurricane Florence struck North Carolina in the United States in September 2018 to understand the framing efforts undertaken by the outlets that produced these reports, as well as their impact on news sentiment towards the flood recovery efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The results indicate that while most articles published in the wake of Florence have a neutral sentiment, there are a significant number of both positively and negatively coded articles that illuminate important information about how the public engaged with and comprehended the role of FEMA during recovery from the disaster, and how the media chose to cover its involvement. Such scrutiny will continue to inform how public, private, and government actors understand FEMA's role and whether it achieves its goals in the future.

Automated summary

Newspaper sentiment and framing have a significant impact on public opinion about FEMA's flood recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence. The study found that while most articles published had a neutral sentiment, there were a considerable number of positive and negative articles that provided important insights into how the public perceived FEMA and how the media covered its involvement. These findings will continue to shape how public, private, and government actors understand FEMA's role and its effectiveness in future disasters.