With the ongoing coverage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita dominating much of the media coverage, some at The University of Memphis said coverage of the war in Iraq has been put on hold.
"People tend to pay attention to things closer to home," said Bob Blanton, associate professor of political science.
Blanton said the media is spending more time on the hurricanes because they are front-page news.
However, he said he does think people are still talking about the war.
"I don't think people have forgotten about the war in Iraq," he said.
The media coverage of the hurricane is a temporary distraction, Blanton said.
Joe Hayden, assistant professor of journalism, said peoples' attention has been diverted from the war because it is farther away.
"The hurricanes have come to our shore," Hayden said.
Hayden said he thinks the media coverage of the war has dropped.
"That, in some cases, is inevitable," he said.
Hayden said the media has begun to tell the stories of those affected by the hurricane.
"Those things push coverage of the war to the side," he said.
Hayden also said that much of the general public is not talking about the war, unless they have relatives who are in Iraq.
He said people will begin to pay attention to the war again once the hurricanes have subsided.
"If a big crisis happens in Iraq, we'll be more riveted," Hayden said.
Leigh Black, a junior art major, also said people are now paying more attention to the hurricanes.
"We're directly affected by the hurricanes," Black said.
She also said she thinks the public is still talking about the war.
"It's a topic of conversation, but not like it was before the hurricanes," she said.
Chandler Pritchett, a graduate student and fine arts major, said that people are more concerned with domestic issues.
"People are paying more attention to the price of gas," Pritchett said.
She said she thinks media coverage of the war has been affected by the hurricanes.
"I haven't seen one meaningful thing about the war," she said.
Nathan Nix, a music arts major, said he has not heard that much about the war since the hurricane came.
"I've heard a few comments, but nothing like before," he said.
Nix said people are definitely paying more attention to the hurricane.
"Humans tend to be drawn to morbid things," he said.
