News coverage boosts giving after disasters – Australian research team’s findings may offer lessons for Los Angeles fires

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News coverage boosts giving after disasters – Australian research team’s findings may offer lessons for Los Angeles fires

People who lost their possessions in the fire that swept through Altadena, Calif., look through donated shoes and clothing on Jan. 15, 2025. AP Photo/Richard VogelIn late 2019 and early 2020, a series of devastating wildfires, known as the “black summer” bushfire disaster, left Australia reeling: More than 20% of the country’s forests burned. As a scholar of the psychology of charitable giving, I have long been interested in the unique emotional…