Grand Canyon Flash Flood Kills Two Hikers
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What happened
Over the weekend, a flash flood in Arizona’s Grand Canyon killed two hikers, John Guisti, 46, and Brent Rosenkranz, 42, whose families confirmed the deaths, and left at least one other hiker missing. The flood briefly turned Bright Angel Creek into a river and forced the evacuation of about 80 people from campsites around Phantom Ranch. Park water systems were severely damaged, including part of a $208 million pipeline project under way near the ranch. Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), who was nearby with a rafting group, said he heard a sound like a freight train smash as mud and debris-filled water tore through; his group later moved to higher ground. A specialized Border Patrol team has joined the search for the missing hiker.
BLINDSPOT.
Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning coverage is silent on the Grand Canyon flood, so those readers miss the deaths, the missing hiker, and the evacuations that left-leaning outlets put on the record. Left-leaning coverage reports that a monsoon deluge far from the canyon was channeled into Bright Angel Creek until a creek became a river, and that the park water system was severely damaged. A reader of the silent side never learns that about 80 people were taken out of the Phantom Ranch campsites.
Left-leaning outlets split the lead between an eyewitness crash and the named dead. NBC News opens on a lawmaker who heard what sounded like a "freight train smashing into a boulder," while The Hill opens on Border Patrol joining the hunt. One left-leaning reader therefore meets the flood through a nearby lawmaker and another through the search.
Did the park warn anyone in the canyon before Bright Angel Creek rose?
Bottom line
Right-leaning outlets have run no story on the Grand Canyon flood. Their readers would not know two hikers died or that NBC News had Rep. David Schweikert describing the scene from the canyon.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- About 80 people were evacuated from campsites around Phantom Ranch
- John Guisti, 46, and Brent Rosenkranz, 42, were both killed in the flooding, their families confirmed
- Part of a new $208 million water pipeline project underway near Phantom Ranch was damaged
- Rep. David Schweikert said there was not more than a drizzle of precipitation where he was when the flood hit
- Floods are common across the Southwest this time of year, when even a little rain can quickly become dangerous
The Left View
The Hill, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News report two confirmed deaths, one missing hiker, roughly 80 evacuations near Phantom Ranch, and infrastructure damage. The Hill highlights Border Patrol joining the search. The Times frames the event as monsoon-season flooding that can turn modest rain into danger across the Southwest. The Post describes hikers who thought they were prepared but were trapped in the canyon’s deepest, narrowest stretches. NBC News features Schweikert’s account that local rain was only a drizzle while a distant deluge was channeled into the canyon, plus his warning to avoid slot canyons when storms are nearby and to take the terrain seriously.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: named victims, a named congressional eyewitness, specific locations (Bright Angel Creek, Phantom Ranch), an evacuation figure, and reported damage to a named $208 million pipeline project. Family confirmation of the two deaths is established in the coverage; the missing hiker’s identity and outcome are not fully established here. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for National Park Service incident reports, identification and status of the missing person, and official assessments of water-system and pipeline damage.
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