Times Beach, Missouri, a small town close to the Meramec River and about 25 miles from St. Louis, is now deserted due to contamination from dioxin, a contaminant generated during the production of some cleansers, herbicides, and pesticides. From November 30, 1982, until the end of January 1983, the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" ran 55 articles about Times Beach over a period of 61 days. A study analyzed the content of this early coverage by examining government involvement, the effects on the people involved, and the role of the media in the disaster. Results showed that the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" (1) did not fully realize its potential as an educator and communicator during the Times Beach disaster, due in part to the inherent limitations on disaster reporting and in part to its own apparent lack of initiative; (2) failed as a means of preparing the public by ignoring rather than investigating the initial warning signs of widespread dioxin contamination in Missouri; (3) did provide some mitigation, warning, and coping information in its coverage, but glossed over or omitted many of the issues that were imperative for a complete understanding of the disaster; (4) could have improved its fulfillment of the role of watchdog with an explanation of the relative risk of living in Times Beach; and (5) was most effective in the role of providing a mode for grieving or assuaging guilt. (Twenty-four notes are included.) (MS)