Armstrong’s Passing Overshadowed by Storm Threat?
This past weekend, America lost Neil Armstrong, the man who made a “giant leap for mankind” when he walked on the moon in 1969.
Forty-three years later, and in the short while after Armstrong’s death was made public, it seemed as though most television stations continued on with their usual Saturday afternoon programming. The threat of Tropical Storm Isaac stirred up more coverage (one-third more to be exact) than the death of the man who changed the game of space exploration. In one instance, an NBC reporter even referred to Armstrong as Neil Young! Ouch.
So how is it that a storm-watch garners more importance amongst news organizations than the passing of such an American icon?
The coverage of Armstrong’s death, or should I say lack thereof, was attributed to three reasons.
First, just as determined as he was to land on the moon, Armstrong was determined to lead a private, suburban life. This decision posed as quite the disadvantage for TV coverage, since there weren’t many appearances or interviews to play back and reminisce on the astronaut’s life.
Another contributor could be the fact that Armstrong’s passing occurred on a Saturday in late August, when staff is minimal. While this makes sense, it’s not exactly bullet-proof since Isaac was able to pull in so many more broadcast results.
Finally, the way in which he passed could be a final contributor. Most news agencies draft stories of a celebrity’s death when he or she is announced as sick or suffering from a life-threatening illness. In Armstrong’s case, neither the networks nor his family expected the sudden death, which could be why the already shortened staff wasn’t able to conjure up enough material to run consistently throughout the weekend.
Despite the amount of coverage his passing more or may not have received, one thing’s for sure about Neil Armstrong- his legacy will live on in classrooms, textbooks and our nation’s history just as it has for the past four decades.
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Published: August 29, 2012 By:
Sadly, I think your analysis of why the death of Neil Armstrong received less news coverage than the storm watch. Americans, particularly the more recent generations are paying less and less attention to history and also are showing diminishing enthusiasm for space exploration. The federal government has steadily decreased the budget for space exploration, but there has been at best only most protestation from the public. I would even guess that the majority of those under 40 could not have told you the name of the first man to walk on the moon before perhaps taking notice of Mr. Armstrong’s death. On the other hand, a current storm threat with the possibility of immediate crisis and deaths is always going to get the attention of most people who would just as happily watch a train wreck or a car crash (NASCAR perhaps?).
Richard — Astute observation concerning the lack of enthusiasm about space exploration among youth. Perhaps sending Justin Bieber to Mars could move things forward.
Dave