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

Sensationalization

Balance

Excessive speculation

Letting emotions shape coverage

3. What is Effective Reporting?

Accuracy

• Who, what, when, where, why

Goes beyond facts

• Background information

Objective voice

• Avoiding emotional coloring of report

Authority (speculation vs. facts)

What to do next

4. What should have been mentioned in the news prior to Hurricane Katrina?

Hurricane Betsy (1965)

Hurricane Ivan (2004)

Condition of the levees in New Orleans

2005 Hurricane forecast

5. Discussion of the levees in New Orleans

September 28, 1998 City hopes levees can withstand battering by Mark Truby,USA Today

• Background information about the construction of the levees

• Description of the situation of New Orleans being located below sea level and the potential consequences

• Discussion of the causalities of Hurricane Betsy and the hurricane protection system that Congress put in place

• • 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

• 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.

• forecasters say theyre looking for 18 to 21 named stormsanyone who hasnt gotten serious about storm preparation out to do so now

• one thing forecasters dont predict is where storms will hit.

• 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

Individuals

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.

NPR September 7, 2005

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

Guests:

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