I’ve spent more time watching TV coverage about the Hurricane Katrina disaster on CNN, MSNBC and CBS, than reading about it on blogs and citizen journalism sites on the Internet. This has happened for two reasons. One, although I am a voracious reader, when it comes to coverage of a major event, I find I prefer video coverage to reading to find out what’s going on. Two, usually I would do a better job of balancing my television view with reading about an event or person, however I haven’t had much time to explore the Internet in the past couple of weeks so I’ve kept the television screen going with coverage while my Mac screen fills with all the editing and writing I am doing to meet my work deadlines.
This said, I have managed to do some reading online, mostly via links from the various news digests I receive in my inbox, such as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and Alternet.
The stories that seem to be captivating me the most are not the straight reporting pieces of what talking bureaucrat head said what, but the articles that tell the stories of the people who have been hit by this disaster with all its mighty force. Some are first-person accounts, all include vivid descriptions and quotes that either break your heart or light up your face. It’s these stories that have told me the most about the impact of this tragedy, more than the television images, news conferences and even poignant front page newspaper photos.
From the Chicago Tribune check out Mary Schmich’s columns from Sept.2, 2005 onwards. Most are her writing from the south and New Orleans in particular.
From the New York Times, I’ve got the archive links (i.e. you don’t need to register and they shouldn’t become pay-per-view pages) to three stories that put a lump in my throat and tears in the corner of my eyes. There is good reason why the New York Time is such a revered newspaper.
Macabre Reminder: The Corpse on Union Street
By Dan Barry
Published: September 8, 2005Uprooted and Scattered Far From the Familiar
By Timothy Egan
Published: September 11, 2005For Storm Survivors, a Mosaic of Impressions
By Kirk Johnson
Published: September 11, 2005
There is plenty of liberal-minded dissection, analysis and opinion pieces on Alternet about Hurricane Katrina and the government’s response. But I found the following article most useful:
Ten great ways you can help
By Don Hazen, AlterNet
Posted September 7, 2005
I’ve also read quite a few op-ed columns in addition to all the stories in the above publications. In Wired News, I found the following one humorous because of how well I think it conveys the American government mentality towards handling emergencies.
Terrorists Don’t Do Movie Plots
By Bruce Schneier
02:00 AM Sep. 08, 2005 PT
There is a lot more out there I will likely not get to for weeks or months. Let me know if there are any articles or posts you’ve found about Hurricane Katrina you think I might like to read.
