Touch in Disaster Reporting: Television Coverage before Hurricane Maria

This study examines the use of interpersonal touch by television reporters in their interactions with sources — mainly residents and government officials before Hurricane Maria made landfall Puerto Rico. We used a qualitative approach, which allowed four functions to emerge inductively but aligned concepts from haptics journalistic roles research. The engagement participation, empathy caring, easing tension, collective empowerment are described relation literature on across cultures. Implications for emotional turn journalism discussed.