New ways to frame the mammoth horror' : media first responders and the Katrina event

This article explores the state of emergency of ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“the Katrina eventââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ with reference to the role of media ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“first respondersââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. While the hyper-productivity of the media could be said to have had a dilatory effect (its recirculation of highly racialised rumour deepening the social panic attendant to the evacuation of the city, complicating matters for the evacuees, and for their would-be benefactors), it also demonstrated a logistical and affective responsiveness to the crisis at a point when little else was being done. Even the mediaââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s capacity to ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“get it wrongââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ functions as a demonstration of its productivity; its reach instantiating referred beliefââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Âthose half-credences about which cultural theorist Mark Seltzer writes. I argue below that the performance of the media throughout the Katrina eventââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Âits mediation of panic, and of the state of emergencyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Âworked as a mechanism of technical re-mastery in the face of systemic breakdown.