Stories about crises need to communicate complex data, evoke empathy for those affected, and encourage a proportionate and informed response. This is hard to do if your story appears to be a dry presentation of facts that are difficult to engage with and digest.
Typical crisis news reports typically begin by reconstructing the unfolding local or global crisis event. Often, this is accompanied by the thoughts and speculations of relevant included expertise on what is known about the origins of the crisis event (Walters and Hornig 1993). Alongside such expert commentary, reported accounts of crisis intensity, examples of suffering and calls for action are also common elements within this type of news reporting.
However, while these themes are common to all forms of crisis reporting, a distinct lack of a focus on solutions and support/advice in this type of news report marks it as different from most other types of crisis coverage. It illustrates a general lack of confidence in the ability to understand, predict or address the developing energy crisis and, as a result, promotes the idea that the crisis is out of anyone’s control.
By highlighting the human impact of the energy crisis, this report is more likely to generate a greater sense of urgency in audiences, which may be important for ensuring that those in positions of power prioritize funding for the area. This will hopefully reduce the negative impacts of the energy crisis on those who are least able to bear it and help ease some of the burdens that a rise in prices is bound to cause.