Earthquakes in the Xi Chuan Province - Research Paper Example

Katrina Petersen COMM 190 Earthquakes in the Xi Chuan Province: An Analysis of a Disaster’s Representation Through Video, Print, and the Web and How these Affect Disaster Management Activities as Well as the Perception of the Calamity Within and Outside the Affected Region The Xi Chuan basin is classified as a high seismic area because the region is located right where the Himalaya mountain belt and the Eurasian plate collide (Li and Chen 1003). Being near an active fault, the area regularly experiences light tremors due to the constant movement of the plates. However, there are instances where big, catastrophic earthquakes hit the region. An example of which happened on May 12, 2008, 06:28:04 (UTC) which according to official reports, seventy thousand people were killed, three hundred seventy four thousand people were injured, and about seventeen thousand more were reported missing. (Chen, Qiao, and Liu 809) To make a good equivalence, the Xi Chuan province is like Charleston of the United States. These places when they were established were not really plagued by catastrophe but, throughout the years, they became known to be the “center of calamity” for their respective countries. (Steinberg 5) For most people, inside and especially outside China, we only hear about these great catastrophes through the reports given by media. Although those in the media are sworn to present news in the most accurate way possible, it is hard for get such an accurate representation. There will always be bias and only snippets of the catastrophe can be recorded at one time. The perspective from which the report was derived is important in determining how a catastrophe will be seen by viewers inside and outside the immediate areas affected. Responses from these reports will ultimately determine how people will act with regard to the needs and situation of those struck with the calamity. There are several perspectives that a disaster report might come from. A disaster can be seen through the eyes on a local who has experienced the tragedy first hand, or through the eyes of an outsider, a foreign journalist perhaps that was tasked to report on the case. Another and more prevalent perspective, especially in a socialist country like China, is the perspective given by the government. These perspectives are the key that determines how locals as well as the policy makers will prepare their disaster management and preparedness plan in for future catastrophes. Loopholes in the presentation of facts or exaggerations in the number of lives lost or damage to property can adversely affect these efforts to reduce damage and mortality for earthquakes. Aside from the perspectives, there are also a lot of ways wherein the reports on the disaster can be expressed. Newspapers and Blogs carry text and images regarding the aftermath of the disaster. Television and radio broadcasts also carry video and audio information about the activities and current situation of those affected. Incorporation different types of media and harnessing different modes of getting information disseminated can create a big effect on how a disaster is perceived and might well be the key determinants to the immediacy as well as the appropriateness of the actions instigated in response to the catastrophe. In this regard, the study intends to analyze how the Xi Chuan earthquakes are represented in media through text, videos, photo documentaries, and press releases. The study tries to connect how these reports affect the views of the locals, and even the rest of the world regarding earthquakes in the Xi Chuan province and will also try to determine the implications of these reports on the disaster management and preparedness plans for the area, the conduct of the rescue and relief operations as well as its effect on other relevant sectors. Literature Review A brief history of the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan basic region was detailed in the study of Han and Jiang (231). The Xi Chuan – Yunnan and Xi Chuan – Quinghai area has been plagued with earthquakes historically due to its location within active faults. Records of big and damaging earthquakes were passed down from dynasty to dynasty until this present age. Although China had been a nation for hundreds of years, only during the 1970s did the government and private sector establish organizations concerned with the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan and Yunnan provinces. The primary organization that collates and analyzes the data from these organizations is the China Earthquake Administration (CEA). CEA and their partner organizations have accomplished much in the three decades of their existence including the building of 170 seismic stations, improvement of observational technologies, systematic investigation of strong earthquakes from history and the research of recent earthquakes, the development of maps that showed the location of active faults. CEA with their regional partners and the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China (MGMRC) plans and formulates disaster preparedness and response strategies for the Xi Chuan region and other provinces that are also located in seismically active zones. Figure no. 1 from Han and Jiang (233) illustrates the major faults that run across the Xi Chuan basin and its neighboring provinces and also shows the direction of movement of the plates. Based on the illustration, it is no wonder that the province gets a lot of shakes and tremors. Maps like these, generated by CEA help the regional policy makers in making zoning efforts to keep their citizens away from imminent danger and it also guides them to the best and worst locations to construct large, pressure inducing structures like mines and dams that can affect the dynamics of the plates and the stability of the faults. These maps also serve as guides for geologists and geophysicists to the best location to place their probes and seismic instruments so as to accurately monitor, in real time, the movement of the plates and the consequent changes in the faults that might very well lead to an earthquake. Figure 1. Sichuan-Yunnan and Sichuan-Qinghai crustal blocks and its movement. (Han, Xia 1980 in Han, Jiang 232.) (1) Xianshuibe Fault, (2) Longmenshan Fault, (3) makers then use the data from seismic organizations as well as the studies of researchers to legislate safety building codes, and disaster preparedness and response procedure for the provinces affected. (Chen, Qiao, Liu 809) ` The official reports from the Chinese government as well as those that foreign media shows to the rest of the world are derived from the findings of these independent as well as government geologic agencies. However, the extent of the damage caused by such big earthquakes cannot be illustrated by mere numbers alone. Photos and videos during and after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake surfaced and circulated in local and international TV networks as well as the internet, minutes after the earthquake hit. These images were key to mobilizing more than one million volunteers to help in the rescue and relief operations in addition to the 146,000 troops that the Chinese military dispatched in a matter of days after the earthquake hit (Jacobs). Since the opening of China to the world in the 1940’s, the government’s authoritarian control over the media had declined but there are instances especially during calamities that the government had suppressed press freedom in order to protect the image of the Chinese government from accusations of corruption and neglect that led to more damages to property and loss of lives. Destruction caused by nature cannot be controlled and however ready people might have been, casualties will still be present because these calamities cannot really be controlled nor predicated specially in the case of big earthquakes. The aftermath of a disaster is where people should reflect on what they could have done differently so that they’ll be more prepared to handle such devastating occurrences in the future. It is recommended in the paper of Andrew Lakoff that governments not only rely upon preliminary levels of security that are already in place but, they should prepare for a disaster by doing the “scenario based exercise” – in which they try to predict and simulate a future catastrophe based on the previous catastrophes that a locale has experienced. The strength in this technique is twofold: it creates a sense of urgency for the officials without the catastrophic events happening first, and it generates knowledge about the risk and short comings of the present response programs that can lead to their re-invigoration and improvement (401). The scenaroii-based exercise relies on accurate representation of risks and precise estimates of damages brought about by natural or even man-made deluge, and the best resource they have in evaluating the damages of a catastrophe, thereby making an accurate recreation of future catastrophes, is the reports and pictures that they have received from the government and media. But, these reports may be skewed by over sensationalizing or over emphasizing some details while overlooking other important facts because of government restrictions or protecting other stakeholder’s interests. Effective translation of relevant information on natural calamities as well as accurate representation of facts on the damages caused by earthquakes and other disasters is forefront and of most importance in achieving the goal of better disaster preparedness and making people better equipped to handle future natural calamities. Methodology To be able to qualify the impact of various media representations on the disastrous earthquake that happened in Sichuan Province in 2008, local and international news report videos, blogs, credible news articles, official Chinese government press releases and other relevant information were gathered and viewed then analyzed for the potential impact they could have imparted to the viewing public. Articles regarding the impact of the news reports and other media used to present the destruction that happened in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was also viewed and read to get insight on the direction that the paper will be heading. Disaster representation with regards to these sources was analyzed using the concepts and various readings that were utilized in the course. With these analyses, generalizations were made regarding the effect of the representation of the disaster with the disaster management efforts onsite in the days to months after the earthquake, their effect on the future disaster preparedness plans of the area, and the probable effect on the perception of locals as well as the international community with regards to the severity of the great Xi Chuan earthquake and the likely changes in attitude towards calamities of this magnitude resulting from the representation of the disaster by the different media. There are however limitations on the extent of the generalizations that can be derived from this study. Even though it is the researchers’ aim to qualify the effect from a local stand point as well as from a foreign standpoint, the local experience cannot be really represented because materials (text and video) from China, especially those in Chinese cannot be understood fully by the makers of this study. This language as well as the cultural barrier that exists between the researchers and the people that are the subject of this paper will make it hard to draw concrete generalizations with regards to the actual changes in perception from the locals’ point of view. Also, most materials included in the survey are in English which can give the paper a more Anglo-centric perspective on the disaster. Having this unintended bias may also affect the flow of discussion as well as the conclusions and subsequent recommendations given in this paper. These should be taken into consideration when reading this paper. Results and Discussion Types of Media Used for Disaster Representation Videos. Videos from all-over the internet regarding the 2008 Xi Chuan earthquake were viewed and most of the videos are hosted on the video-sharing site YouTube. There are videos there that depict breaking news reports that were shown in China’s largest, official press agency Xinhua mere minutes after the earthquake hit. Footages and videos from private individuals and government releases flooded the media a few hours after the catastrophe. In the days following the accident, more material flooded the internet as well as local and international news agency because government press restrictions were virtually non-existent (Jacobs). Several international news networks also covered the disaster in the Xi Chuan province which included NY Times, BBC, and CNN (Hays). A year after the tragedy, a TV movie was produced and released by HBO, “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”. It was shown on several major networks in the US and selected networks on other countries (hbo.com). A film directed by Du Haibin was released in 2009 with a more unfeeling or desensitized plot that also depicted the horrors of the aftermath of the great Sichuan earthquake. Print. Several National and International publications carried the Sichuan earthquake in their headlines, these included Xinhua’s the People’s Daily, West China City Daily, the Washington Post and the New York Times. These 4 newspapers continued to carry stories from the tragedy even after several years have passed. On the first few weeks to the first few months from the tragedy, the focus of the articles were regarding updates on the relief and rescue operations on the affected areas often highlighting the efforts of the government and the cooperation of the locals as well as the participation of national as well as international volunteers. The frequency of articles regarding the quake declined a year after the event and continued to decline thereafter. National news agencies presented the continued efforts to rehabilitate the affected areas as well as the future plans for disaster preparedness. International publications mostly focused on the blame game – which people or agencies should be made accountable for majority of the deaths that happened during the 2008 earthquake that could have been prevented and the injustice that are experienced by the journalists and other people affected by the catastrophe (Liu, Daqi 37-55) Web. Several websites have been put up after the Xi Chuan earthquake. These sites are composed of blogs, photo documentary sites, information dissemination and those sites that encouraged donors and volunteers for the relief effort. Other existing sites and bloggers also made articles regarding the Xi Chuan earthquake mostly to express empathy towards the victims, and also to examine how these disasters can be averted or how its effects can be lessened. The articles shown by the TV networks in their broadcasts were also posted on their websites. And even social networking sites like Facebook also had many people sharing about the tragedy and putting up pages in support of the Xi Chuan earthquake victims. Figure 2. The devastation in Beichuan, one of the worst hit cities during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. (http://www.madsnissen.com/sichuan-earthquake-china-2008/) The Impacts of the Disaster Representation Onsite rescue and relief operations. Because of the aggressive information campaign instigated by the Chinese government as well as the private sector, local as well as international efforts were promptly prepared and issued to the affected areas. As early as a few hours after the quake, local volunteers as well as soldiers from the Chinese Armed Forces were deployed to help in the rescue, relief, and recovery efforts by the local government and the less affected residents. A total of over 1 million volunteers came to the aid of those struck with the calamity, and more than a hundred thousand troops were deployed to help in the efforts (Jacobs). International aid forces from the Japan also came to help in the relief and recovery operations, as well as the rebuilding of countless infrastructures that were destroyed during the calamity. This was the first time the PRC accepted manpower in responding to a calamity from another country (Kyodo News). Financial donations came from local and international corporations and individuals, as well as celebrities. People from all round China and the rest of the world also gave donations in kind. The estimated value of all the donations, both in cash or in kind was estimated to be over and above $2 billion dollars (Jacob). Locals’ and foreign perception of the Chinese government. The image of the Chinese Government received praise and criticism as depicted by the media. Some articles in blogs as well as in certain local and foreign newspapers applauded the quick response of the Chinese government and its humility to accept foreign aid during this time of crisis (Kyodo News, Du Yuan, and The New York Times). The government also scored high points for the timely visit of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to personally comfort the survivors in the Qingchuan County, south west of Sichuan Province. The Xinhua News Agency as well as other media men from different local and international news agencies was with him to cover the visit which was given top media coverage all over the country (Xinhua). The Chinese government also put a lot of effort and made budgets available to rebuild as fast as possible all damaged infrastructure from the quake. This move caused China’s economy (GDP based) to rise by 9.5% and the provincial economy to grow by 10.1% despite having 5 million displaced and homeless people during the 3rd quarter of 2008 (AsiaNews.it). The good rep that the Chinese government received in media was offset by the controversies surrounding the collapse of hundreds of school buildings that led to the death of thousands of school children. Official estimates peg the number of school children casualties to be not more than 5,300 but independent surveys take the number up to about 7,000 (Jacobs, AsiaNews.it). Concerned citizens, local and international bloggers, as well as the parents who themselves lost their (often one and only) child to the collapse of their schools were protesting that the government should conduct a thorough investigation on what caused the total collapse of the school buildings when buildings on the vicinity were left standing. A year after the quake, the Chinese government still insists that the sheer force of the earthquake was the one responsible for the mass collapse of the school buildings; this is even after their own Audit Office issued a statement that state-run schools were forced to operate with only 55% of the budget that they were supposed to have, with the rest taken in by corrupt officials (AsiaNews.it). Many parents are now testifying that they were offered about 60,000 Yuan for their silence, many local and international agents that wanted to clarify the issue were harassed and imprisoned. (Jacobs, AsiaNews.it) A school teacher, Liu Shaokun was also arrested because of posting pictures confirming the suspected haphazard construction of the school buildings. He was taken into a labor camp to “reform his insidious ways” (Branigan). Another effort of the government to appease the parents are to give them fertility enhancers, free procedures to undo birth control surgeries, and provide family counseling so that the families that lost their children can have a chance to have another offspring (New York Times). These reports just add to the anger of the parents that lost their children and the discontent felt by the Chinese people regarding the unresolved cases of the school building collapse. These big catastrophes beg for a “point-person” who is responsible to bear the continuing liability of the damages caused by the catastrophe. The government, especially the local officials carries a lot of the burden since they are responsible for the welfare of their people – which is especially true for the socialist government of China. Although the Xi Chuan earthquake is a natural disaster, unlike the Bhopal incident in India which was more man-made, justice should still be served to the constituents and the affected. Cover-ups for those responsible for the destruction of school buildings are not providing justice but robbing the citizens of it. (Fortun 190-192) The Chinese’ attitude towards similar catastrophe. The resilience of the Chinese people was more pronounced in the aftermath of the 2008 Xi Chuan earthquake. The area has been frequented by mild to strong earthquakes since hundreds of years before and they have always bounced back. President Hu Jintao said in his address on the 1st year anniversary of the quake that; “The great task of earthquake rescue and recovery reminds us again that unity is strength, and that victory can only be gained through struggle,” (Jacobs) Five years after the devastating earthquake that claimed almost 90,000 persons listed as either dead or missing, the new Beichuan Town officially called Yongchang has been completed and houses more than 40,000 residents for the last 2 years. The original site of Beichuan was left as is in commemoration for more than 21,000 persons who perished there (Lim). For every year after the quake, people who lost their family flock to these ruins to light candles and incense to honor their loved ones, this wear was no different, but the people generally do not dwell on the past but move ahead towards a hopefully brighter future (Davis). Survivors of the 2008 earthquake did, and for some, still suffering from psychological distress resulting from the horrific experience of the quake. The children are the most scarred not only physically but psychologically as well; though parents that lost their only child in the calamity are equally damaged. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when left without professional help may lead to depression and suicidal tendencies (Lau et al.). Many local agencies sent professional counselors and psychiatrists to make their services available to the survivors of the Xi Chuan earthquake and they have made improvements on the quality of life for the thousands of survivors especially for the children and the parents that lost their offspring to the quake (doctorswithoutborders.com). Future of Disaster Preparedness Strategies. The 2008 Xi Chuan Earthquake made a big impact with regards to how ready the Chinese government is to respond to natural calamities. Succeeding earthquakes in the area after the magnitude 7.8 quake were handled faster and the relief and rescue response were remarkably more organized leading to the discovery of more survivors and the prompt meeting of the survivor’s needs (Fish). Many insurance companies are looking into offering or are now offering services to insure houses and other properties in case of violent tremors like that of the 2008 Xi Chuan earthquake (Jang, 162-163). Building regulations were also made stricter especially in hospitals and schools so that the school collapse tragedy will not be repeated. Early warning systems have been and are currently being installed in provinces near active faults so that people will not be caught off guard anymore by sudden tremors (Han, Tianran); so far this strategy has been proven effective in one average quake on the Yunnan province. People are also more inquisitive and hands on in the construction of their houses in order to comply with the rules of the government with regards to earthquake proofing their homes. It is also important to examine the things that are not represented in media when preparing for disaster. These knowledge gaps are key to improving what’s already there. Seizing the opportunity to improve should be utmost in a disaster preparedness plan. (Fickle 647-649) These steps were made because the media was filled with the pictures and messages of the devastation that happened during the great Xi Chuan earthquake as well as the people’s own personal experiences with the violence of earthquakes. Analysis of the 2008 Xi Chuan Earthquake Representations The dissertation of Daqi Liu mentions about the framework that journalists typically follow in covering natural disasters (as discussed by from Scraton, 2003, p.422). Eight kinds of information are typically included in disaster coverage and normally they are presented in this order: the “historical context, recent context, immediate circumstances, the moment, rescue and evacuation, immediate aftermath, short-term aftermath, and long term aftermath and implications”. The information represented in these reports is essential not only to the people affected but also in preparing for future catastrophes. It is the duty of a journalist, and anyone who will make a public statement (whether it is a blog or a photojournalism album), especially with regards to information concerning natural disasters, to make sure that what he/she reports is accurate. The perception of disaster depends upon how a disastrous event is portrayed. With the articles that are available in the west regarding the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, there are more articles and materials that presents the horrors of the quake – the destruction, the injuries, and the death toll; rather than the triumphs despite the tragedy. Many articles also focus on the corruption and misuse of public funds by government officials than the actual status of the survivors. I predict that in China, the situation is reversed, with them having more of the “positive” images and articles because of the government censorship that classifies many of the materials that are available to western readers as anti-government materials in China. This creates a skewed representation of the realities of the 2008 Xi Chuan earthquake because the news have 2 faces and only one side can be viewable depending if you are inside or outside China. In his article Wesley Shrum creates an image of the different perspective that a person can obtain from being in the actual catastrophe. Words like destruction, tragedy, and in our context, shake and tremors now possess a whole different meaning. And as He mentions, reality and what is reported differ from each other and it takes someone who has experienced the catastrophe first hand and have experience countless other catastrophes to create a better picture of the damage from the disaster. With regards to internal turmoil of survivors, Moeller, in her article, mentions that pain cannot truly be represented by those that have not experienced it and pain is not something that can be experienced vicariously (p.175). It is true in the case of reports from the Xi Chuan Earthquake in 2008. Many of the writers, photographers and bloggers, even those that made the films are “foreign” to the Chinese culture and also first timers with regards to the damages that an earthquake can impart to a vulnerable locale. This part is true for the articles that are available from the west but I cannot infer much from articles and news shown to those in China. Photos and videos help us, non-Chinese as well as those Chinese that are not in their home land, or are far from the province that was hit to get a better glimpse of what is really happening during and after the earthquake. It lets us empathize more and makes us aware of the daily hardships that disaster survivors must endure even after coming from such a horrendous experience like being trapped in rubble, or seeing your house and everything that you’ve worked so hard for collapse, or losing one or more of your loved ones. But we as viewers should remember that though pictures paint a thousand words, they are also very subjective. You can’t really “see” all sides of an event with a mere picture alone. As the article from RhetoricaLens.info suggests as well as the article written by Benthall, photojournalism should always coincide with a narrative, the photos giving emphasis and life to the written text and figures. Photos carry a certain subjectivity in which you can only interpret what you see; an image is definitely not the whole story. In the Xi Chuan earthquake, there are a good number of photos that capture the pain, the loss, the destruction and the hope that was left after the catastrophe. The photos presented a more balanced view of the catastrophe rather than the text articles. And for most of the photographs available, they are not tainted with politics nor corruption although it is recognized that photographs can also be used as propaganda. Conclusion and Recommendation How a disaster is presented can truly make a difference on how it is perceived by those that are affected and by those that were mere viewers of the events. The implications of articles do not merely cover the disaster that they are about but also gives insight to the type of government, and the kind or people that are struck with the calamity. The textual, photographic, and video representation of the disaster shapes how future disasters will be dealt with and these materials can also affect the choices that policy makers as well as individuals make in the future regarding their disaster preparedness. People can only prepare for what they can anticipate and they base their decisions depending on what they have heard, seen and experienced and these can be heavily influenced by what the media feeds them. It can turn out for the good like the outpouring of donations and surge in volunteerism during the aftermath of the great Xi Chuan earthquake. Or for the worse, like the bad reputation that the government obtained with reports that have circulated in TV and the internet as well as in newspapers regarding the corruption that is prevalent with regards to handling money for the earthquake victims. For succeeding catastrophes, it is for the best if the whole picture is seen by both sides. The Chinese government’s restrictive press rules were a big hindrance to the reporting of truthful and fact-based information that could very well saved lives in future disasters. And a balance of perspective is always welcome for those that are viewing the catastrophe outside of the country where it happened. So that foreign people will not be hasty in judging and putting the blame on certain organizations and or individuals but rather be more reflective and be encouraged to do research themselves before siding on an issue. As future agents of communication, let us take in mind the weight of the responsibility that reporting a natural calamity entails. We must use every type of media available so that accurate news and fact-based information will be delivered to all constituents and moreover, we should make sure to balance our views regarding controversies so as to be rightful agents of communication rather than mere speculators and accusers. It is our job to get the facts right, and though it is hard, we must practice to eliminate bias from our reporting to better service the people who are experiencing the heavy blow of a calamity. References AsiaNews.it. “Sichuan earthquake: quake victims mark anniversary with silent protests”. AsiaNews.it. PIME (Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere). 11 May 2009. Web. Bishop, Bill. “Earthquake response and political tension return to the spotlight.” China Insider for The New York Times. 22 April 2013. Web. 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