Max Collins, Brent Petrone, Stephanie Steinberg, Ely Twiggs, Lauren Zobl

EFFECTIVE• Reliable sources• government and local

officials

• Balanced reporting

• Reporting for the average person• “How will I be effected?”

INEFFECTIVE• Sensationalism• Too many personal accounts/ eye witnesses

• Pointing fingers• All facts and no context

Before Katrina

New York TImes: Nothing's Easy for New Orleans Flood Control published April 30, 2002

Fair and Balanced

Addressed imminent danger of hurricanes and a weak levee system

Charts/pictures with descriptions to help reader visualize threat more clearly

Local experts:◦ Dr. Ivor van Heerden,

deputy director of the L.S.U. Hurricane Center

◦ Jack C. Caldwell, head of the state's Natural Resources Department

Devils advocate/Pros and Cons

◦ “Perhaps the surest protection is building up the coastal marshes that lie between New Orleans and the sea and that have been eroding at high rates. But restoration will require time, a huge effort and prohibitive sums of money, perhaps $14 billion…”

USA News & World Report: Big Blow in the Big Easy published July 10, 2005

No Explanations or Solutions

Poor use of quotes Addresses problems

with no explanations or solutions/advice

Negativity and pessimism

“…the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at least a decade away from upgrading to that level of protection.”◦ Why?

Excess of opinions rather than facts

“Still, polls show the longer people have lived in New Orleans, the less likely they are to evacuate. "If it's going to happen, it's going to happen…”

No attitude calling for prevention.

Director of Hurricane Public Health discusses levee problems have not been fixed accordingly to withstand another category 5 hurricane

“Before Katrina we were saying get out with a category 2 or above,” Ivor Van Heerden said. “We haven’t changed that message. Get out.”

New Orleans levees improved? 1:35 – 2:40

During Katrina

Flight tracker USA TODAY: Thousands face delays as Katrina hits Gulf Coast

Article is interactive and pertains to actual travels with a link to a Flight Tracker

Although there are no official sources, there are lists of the exact cities that are affected so that readers are able to pinpoint their delay

The Washington Post: “Room Guarantees Can get lost in Hurricane”

One of the highway offramps used to launch search and rescue boats in the Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina, nicknamed "Bush's boat ramps."

Although the article gives sufficient airline delays and information regarding cancelled flights and airport chaos, there is little FACT to the story◦ A woman is featured as

missing her flight to Barbados, a menial concern in the wake of Katrina’s destruction

There are barely any official sources, just testimonials

During Katrina

Times-Picayune: Photo slide show

Picture from the slideshow

Highlights a variety of issues that were occurring during the floods

Very detailed captions that provided a broader context to what was happening in the photograph

Times-Picayune: Widespread looting hits abandoned businesses

Re-reporting facts that have been known. ◦ Since this article came

out the Tuesday after the storm similar and more in depth stories about looting were already written

Did not add any information in how the looting problem was being enforced

During and After Katrina

Economic consultants give best and worst case scenarios

USA Today: Storm worsens oil, gas problems published August 29, 2005

Best: “oil prices of $65 to $70 per barrel for a couple of weeks, and gasoline at about $3 a gallon for a couple of months.”

Worst: “Oil rises to $100 a barrel for a month, gas prices are $3.50 a gallon for a few months.”

Describes how citizens across the U.S. will be affected◦ High gas prices due to

damaged oil pipelines and refineries

◦ Will affect heating, cooling and driving prices

Describes government emergency plans for energy shortages ◦ Ex: Strategic Petroleum

Reserve

BBC: Lake faces aftermath of city catastrophe published Sept. 8, 2005

Map of Lake Pontchartrain

Questions environmental impact of toxins and chemicals that would be dumped in Lake Pontchartrain

Puts news in context◦ Before hurricane, the

lake was getting cleaner Explains importance

of wetlands for reducing flooding

USA Today Interactive See where oil ports and pipelines are

located and how they were affected Also part of the interactive

◦ How many evacuees sought refuge in each state◦ Map of ports along the coast that were impacted

After Katrina

The Washington Post“Along Gulf, Aiding the Living and Counting the Dead” September 6, 2005

President Bush comforts a Katrina victim

Reliable Sources◦ Local police officer◦ President Bush

Balanced Reporting◦ Pro and con Bush◦ Blame Bush and blame

local government Quotes

◦ “It is good that he came… It seems like he cares”

Facts◦ Balanced with quotes

The Washington Post:Officials Deal With Political Fallout by Pointing Fingers September 5,2005 Reliable sources

◦Senator Mary Landrieu◦Spokeswomen for Louisiana Government No quotes from the average person Points fingers at Bush