Papua New Guinea Newsletter

News Coverage of Global Disasters: Journalism’s Power to Aid Healing and Recovery addresses an under-explored aspect of news, arguing that journalism helps people heal and recover in the aftermath of significant traumas. This comparative analysis draws from local and international news in eight countries around the world that suffered a natural disaster in 2018. The book evaluates ten news themes that aid healing, coping, hope and recovery during and after a natural disaster. Analysis shows that these ten characteristics are a common element within news, transcending national borders. The book brings together contemporary theories of news choice and practice with examination of the journalistic culture within each country. Analysis also includes contextual and structural factors within each country and national disaster. Evaluation shows some characteristics of a common journalistic culture and other patterns primarily due to unique elements of a national culture. The book mixes quantitative and qualitative data to provide a rich analysis. It also fills a gap in international comparative studies of news content.

Based around the case study of a single village in Papua New Guinea, 'Pathways to Heaven' examines the tensions, antagonisms and outright confrontations that can occur within local Christian communities upon the arrival of global versions of fundamentalism.