Both ABC World News and NBC Nightly News did reports following up the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in Iceland.
As with the oil rig explosion reports, as many news stations clamor for follow-up reports on the same breaking news item, many attributes of the stories are similar or nearly identical while reporters and stations try to find a new angle on the same heavily-covered topic.
Both stories cover the volcano following the assumption that the worst is over, as the plume of smoke over the volcano decreases in size and the wind shifts the smoke and ash away from Europe. Both have an extensive amount of the reporter talking in the helicopter with shots of the volcano and immediate area surrounding it as well as time spent on the volcano. Both reporters point out the mix of snow and ash on the ground. The ABC World news reporter described his experience by the eruption by saying that it was "hard to breathe because the air is so windy and cold," and after leaving the volcano says that "my chest actually feels strange, my lungs almost chilled by the freezing air," to add more than merely what is seen on screen. Following that, the reporter shows very strong images of a village covered in ash with very low visibility. He also shows the ground where he had stepped on yesterday, with the muddy substance from the day before hardening and keeping his boot print.
The report from NBC did not have this strong image and instead had input from a vulcanologist and an Icelandic University professor. It would have benefited from footage of villages blanketed in ash to show rather than tell.
In another report from NBC Nightly News, the reporter ventures more into towns to talk with people, such as farmers concerned with their animals' health and schoolchildren having to wear masks, while interesting and showing the people aspect of the story, still isn't nearly as strong as the image of an almost Pompeii-like city. The reporter also includes an interview with the president of Iceland who says he is optimistic that this eruption, though unfortunate, will help draw in tourists to see the country where it all happened. She also includes footage of a normally crystal-clear waterfall having a "dirty brown" water instead and a hotel's empty parking lot, where it would normally expect about 100 tourists.
Overall, the 3 reports have a similar core but try to distinguish themselves by branching out into different areas of implication.
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