Hurricane Katrina exposed issues in journalism coverage of natural disasters. Good coverage is honest, asks tough questions, and provides context, while bad coverage focuses too much on sensational images over factual content. Early reports warned of New Orleans' vulnerability, though many residents did not take the threat seriously. During the storm, some journalists spread rumors and speculation instead of verified facts, while others like Soledad O'Brien challenged officials with tough questions. In the aftermath, coverage examined systemic failures and the human toll, while also documenting the city's recovery years later.
2. Criteria for Good Journalism Honest and accurate Adversarial (when necessary) Asks the right questions Contextualizes the issue Respectful Unbiased
3. Criteria for Bad Journalism Natural disaster angle Speculative Incomplete Overly sensational Image over content Unreliable sources Superdome
4. New York Times: July 4th 2003“New Orleans’s Hurricane Problem” “What is less well known is that New Orleans is an environmental disaster waiting to happen” “… it may be only a matter of time before the Big One hits. The time to prepare New Orleans for that frightening prospect is now.” Offers potential remedies
5. CBS News Report- Hurricane Ivan Concern that the city is below sea-level and prone to hurricanes “It’s better to be safe than sorry- if you want to take a chance, buy a lottery ticket. But don’t take a chance with this hurricane”- Aaron Broussard Footage of evacuation routes Discussion about safety measures
6. “Hurricanes don’t scare most here, survey says” • Up to 60% would stay home for Category 3 storm • No hurricane in past 30 years
7. “Gulf Coast Under Hurricane Warning” • September 14, 2004, Wolf Blitzer • Emphasis on images • Factual, with some speculation
9. Geraldo Rivera- Sept 3, 2005 “Yesterday the sun set on a scene of terror, chaos, confusion, anarchy, violence, rapes, murders, dead babies, dead people-- I mean, it was -- I could not emphasize how horrible it was 24 hours ago, 24 hours later”
10. Chris Lawrence on Anderson Cooper 360- Sept. 1, 2005 “And off in the distance, over the Mississippi River, I can see just a thick cloud of black smoke rising up over the bridge. One of the police officers tells me that that is Oakwood Mall pretty much burning to the ground right now.”
11. Asking the right questions: Soledad O’Brien Interviews FEMA http://www.newseum.com/exhibits-and-theaters/temporary-exhibits/katrina/video-highlights/katrina-video-soledad-o-brien.html
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13. “The President cannot resist the overwhelming weight of responsibility for the gravity of this disaster any more than the levees of New Orleans could resist the weight of water.”
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15. Katrina Takes Toll on Truth “The wild rumors filled the vacuum and seemed to gain credence with each retelling -- that an infant's body had been found in a trash can, that sharks from Lake Pontchartrain were swimming through the business district, that hundreds of bodies had been stacked in the Superdome basement.” –LA Times, Sept. 27
As we will discuss later, there were a lot of rumors circulating around the Superdome about rapes, murders, and a baby in a trash can…
The article was written after tropical storm Bill in 2003 which breached a levee and caused massive flooding.The article is good because it warns the public about the danger of New Orleans and the importance of taking action ( mentions how it is below sea level)Repeatedly mentioning the damage that the “Big One” could do- cause New Orleans to fill up like a bowl and not have sufficient escape routs good because brings people’s attention to a potentially catastrophic event- we know today that this is in fact the caseArticle is good because aside from merely stating the danger, it offers potential solutions. Americas Wetland program which is already going on- designed to draw attention to the problem of the erosion of the wetlands> could lead to damage in the case of a major hurricane.Suggests raising higher of levee, building storm safe structure for people who are unable to leave, etc.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=643533nNews report a few hours before the hurricane is supposed to hit New OrleansPeople are worried about New Orleans being 8 feet below sea level and very prone to hurricanes (40 seconds)People are hoping that it will move past new Orleans- good reporting because not saying what will definitely happen- saying what is predictedAaron Broussard- president of Jefferson Perish- shows a reliable leader giving people instructions to avoid the storm and evacuateFootage of police telling people to evacuate and images of the crowded high ways and airport with people full of evacuation- shows instead of tells which is goodSaying that many people say it is just hype- not giving answers for sure- giving all the facts that is knownSays super dome could be used in case of emergency- planning ahead and giving possible plans of actions before it is too lateSays supposed to be a big one- but nothing is for sure
