Katrina Coverage: Some Best Practices

Hurricane Katrina (September 2005) -- and its aftermath, especially the flooding of the city of New Orleans -- has been called the worst natural disaster in the United States. 

Much outstanding journalism came out of Katrina coverage. This wiki page celebrates the best work of the news industry in covering the hurricane.

Please add your candidates for some of the best journalistic practices you've noticed in the Katrina coverage by clicking the Edit Page link in the right column. (If you don't see it, then you must Log In or Register first.) You not only can add content to this page, you also can change or even remove what's already here. If you need help understanding how to edit this page, see our Poynter Wikis FAQ.

Among Katrina's Outcasts - MSNBC.com
"Backpack" journalists Mike Brunker and Andrew Locke are doing some great work along the Gulf Coast. We have labeled it a blog, which really isn't the right term, but it is attracting a huge following. These guys are reporting in real time, responding to comments from readers, and fashioning some of their agenda in light of that feedback. For instance, there was tremendous interest in a posting about a guy whose cat bascially saved his life, so Mike and Andrew went to the scene of the "rescue," even looked for the cat. Read their stuff to find out what happened. (Submitted 9/8/05 by Mike Stuckey of MSNBC.com)

The Courier: Faces of Katrina
The Courier of Houma, La., started a section on their Web site called "Faces of Katrina." It's a constantly updated gallery with portraits of the hurricane's survivors, shot by Courier photographer Matt Stamey. It's at the same time a photo gallery, missing-persons resource, contact database and first-person account. A great way to tell the story, one person at a time. (Submitted 9/9/05 by Meg Martin of Poynter Online)

Philadelphia Inquirer: A Personal Narrative
Philadelphia Inquirer staff blogger Dan Rubin posted an audio interview with Inquirer reporter Natalie Pompilio, a New Orleans native and former Times-Picayune employee.  (Submitted 9/16/05 by Meg Martin of Poynter Online)  

Searching Katrina Missing Persons Sites - Lycos, 9/05
This isn't from a news company, but search engine Lycos has done a great public service by offering a single website to search for missing persons in the Hurricane Katrina disaster. It searches across multiple sites that are individually trying to track down missing hurricane victims. (Submitted 9/7/05 by Steve Outing of Poynter Online)