- 1. Journalism in times of Crisis: Hurricane Katrina Hsin-Hsin
Lee Meg Peterson Arianna Grand Tom Burson David Bos
2. What is Ineffective Reporting?
- Not painting the full picture
- Letting emotions shape coverage
3. What is Effective Reporting?
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- Who, what, when, where, why
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- Avoiding emotional coloring of report
- Authority (speculation vs. facts)
4. What should have been mentioned in the news prior to
Hurricane Katrina?
- Condition of the levees in New Orleans
5. Discussion of the levees in New Orleans
- September 28, 1998 City hopes levees can withstand battering by
Mark Truby,USA Today
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- Background information about the construction of the
levees
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- Description of the situation of New Orleans being located below
sea level and the potential consequences
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- Discussion of the causalities of Hurricane Betsy and the
hurricane protection system that Congress put in place
-
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- the worlds most elaborate flood protection system, according to
Jim Addison, the chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
6. What was discussed in the news in August 2005?
- Discussion of the upcoming hurricane season
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- This hurricane season has already been a doozy. Its brought
five tropical storms and two hurricanes, setting the record for the
number of named storms so early in the season.
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- forecasters say theyre looking for 18 to 21 named stormsanyone
who hasnt gotten serious about storm preparation out to do so
now
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- one thing forecasters dont predict is where storms will
hit.
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- Brace yourselves, Times Picayune, Wednesday August 3, 2005
7. Hurricane forecast for August 2005
- Gerry Bell, a lead meteorologist on NOAA (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration) predicted seven to nine more
hurricanes, including five hurricanes Category 3 or stronger
- Ivor van Heerdan said that the new estimate for the number of
hurricanes place more pressure on the center to provide local,
state, and federal emergency officials with hurricane storm surge
predictions quickly.
- The Times PicayuneEarlier storm forecast blow away As many as
nine more hurricanes are expected by Mark Schleifstein, August 3,
2005
Hurricane forecast for August 2005 8. Hurricane preparedness
- Jefferson Parish, the Emergency Management Director, used the
announcement of the increased number of hurricanes forecasted as a
tool in an intensified education program aimed at explaining the
need to evacuate and the need to make an advance plan for that
evacuation.
- Theres a real need to get the public to understand that if we
have two hurricanes just a week apartpeople could be forced to
evacuate the area and stay away for more than a week, warned Ivor
van Heerdan
Hurricane preparedness 9. Hurricane Warnings
- After Hurricane Ivan (2004), an article inThe Philadelphia
Inquirerwarned that a direct hit by a very powerful hurricane could
swamp its levees and leave as much as 20 feet of chemical-laden,
snake-infested water trapped in the man-made bowl.
- The worst scenario would be a big hurricane arriving from the
east, pushing a wall of water from the gulf into Lake
Pontchartrain, then over the levees into the cities.
Hurricane Warnings 10. Ineffective Reporting between August 25
and September 4, 2005 11.
- Hurricane Katrina was covered as a carnival for students at the
University of Miami with no significant impact beyond inconvenient
electric outages
- There was no mentioning of the fact that Hurricane Katrina has
become a Category 4 at 12AM and is a current Category 5 going
straight toward New Orleansa bowl shaped city
August 28, 2005 7:00AM Hurricane Katrina became Category 5 10:00
Mandatory evacuation 12:00PM Superdome, the refuge of last resort,
houses 20,000 people 12. 13.
- The report failed in remaining an objective voice
- It criticized people for taking advantage of the situation, but
did not speak of the lack of resources and delay in aid within the
area
- All questions were attempting to negatively frame the federal
government
14. Effective Reporting between August 25 and September 4, 2005
15. New York Times August 29
- Hurricane Katrina could bring 15 inches of rain and a storm
surge of 20 feet or higher that would most likely topple the
network of levees and canals that normally protect the bowl-shaped
city from flooding.
- President Bush declared a state of emergency for the Gulf
Coast, a move that cleared the way for immediate federal aid. Mr.
Bush also urged people in the storm's potential path to head for
safer ground.
- A spokeswoman said FEMA had mobilized several hundred
specialists, including about 20 medical teams and a smaller number
of urban search and rescue teams.
16. New Orleans Times-Picayune August 30 th , 2005
- The Overview: Look, look man: Its gone.
- The powerful stormsurge pushed huge wavesahead of the
hurricanethe flooding was extensive.
- People who attempt to return to the city will be stopped.
17. NBC Nightly News August 31 st , 2005
- The mayor here gave voice to what many had feared today that
thousands may be dead in these floodwaters, and tonight officials
at all levels of government are mobilizing to evacuate all 100,000
people still here.
- Think of the hospitals here in New Orleansthey are in perilous
conditions, running on generator power, no running water, no
supplies.
- Tonight the navy is sending four ships loaded with food, water,
soap and medicine
- And we'll repeat this: For more on how you can help, you can
logon to our Web site. That's nightly.msnbc.com.
18. Ineffective Reporting After Hurricane Katrina 19. 20.
September 5, 2005 September 5, 2010:NBC News with Brian
Williams
- Prediction could not be more grim
- 10,000 people may be dead
- Standing waist deep in water for dramatic effect
- Continued, somewhat excessive focus ondestruction, chaos,
individual tragedy
- Limited camera time given to officials
21. September 5, 2005 October 12, 2005:NBC News with Brian
Williams and CNN
- Continued focus on narrow, easy to tell stories
- Coming into destroyed homes for the first time
- Stock images / video of chaos
- What about places other than New Orleans
22. September 5, 2005 November, 2005:NBC / CNN Coverage
- Problems continue for some, not for everyone
- Issues with traffic, garbage delivery
- Continued, stories of people returning to homes
- Lack of officials and information about what isbeing done
23. Effective Reporting After Hurricane Katrina 24.
- What worked and what didnt in planning and response to Katrina:
Q&A with the experts with interactive format allowing callers
to contribute
- When to issue advisories in this case and in the future
- Companies and individuals that sent aid
- How to prepare for natural disasters
- FEMA and its place in the Dept of Homeland Security
- Successes and failures of evacuations
- Role of law enforcement in times of crisis
25. Effective: Post-Katrina
- Richard Pasch , hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane
Center in Miami
- Chief Willis Carter , director of communications for the
Shreveport, La., fire department
- Dave Liebersbach , director of Alaska's Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Management
- Mark Schliefstein , reporter with theTimes-Picayunein New
Orleans, now evacuated to Baton Rouge
- Michael Guerin , former deputy director of emergency services
for the state of California; former law enforcement mutual aid
coordinator for the state of California
- Scott Gold , Houston bureau chief for theLos Angeles Times
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4836344
(:55)
26. Effective: Post-Katrina
- How do people feel a year after Katrina?
- The Washington Post: August 21, 2006
- Nearly one year after Hurricane Katrina punched into the Gulf
Coast, much damage remains, both in the shattered homes that litter
parts of New Orleans and in the battered reputation of government
institutions, a new survey shows.
- Only half agreed that the federal government had "learned a
lesson from Hurricane Katrina
- Although President Bush pledged on Sept. 15 in a nationally
televised address from Jackson Square to rebuild New Orleans, 70
percent of those surveyed said most individuals still have not
gotten the help they need with housing, health care and restoring
their lives.
- Eighty-four percent of black respondents said most people
affected by Katrina had not gotten the help they need to move on
with their lives, and 75 percent said the federal government had
not done enough to help state and local officials.
- Thirty-one percent said failures in the response to the storm
were mostly those of government agencies. But those queried also
cited individual officials and leaders (21 percent of respondents)
and residents who did not adequately prepare and leave in time (22
percent).
27. Effective: Post-Katrina
- Dateline NBC: Katrina, Five Years Later
- Chronicles coverage of the hurricane from Day 1 to Day 5
- Brian Williams shares his memories ( Introduction )
- General coverage of the storm as well as a series of personal
stories from individuals and families affected by the tragedy
- And now that its been five years, its worth taking a look at
whats changed and what hasnt changed in New Orleans where the
damage remains profound ( 7:12 )
- New Orleans has not been completely forgotten by the media five
years later and NBC had accurate and complete coverage of Katrina
at the time and after