The Media and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Judith Sylvester’s Publications Books Sylvester, Judith, and Suzanne Huffman. 2004. Reporting from the Front: The Media and the Military. Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefi eld. Sylvester, Judith, and Suzanne Huffman. 2002. Women Journalists at Ground Zero: Covering Crisis. Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefi eld. Sylvester, Judith. 1998. Directing Health Care Messages toward African Americans, Attitudes toward Health Care and the Mass Media. Health Care Policy in the United States, ed. John G. Bruhn. New York: Garland. Articles Sylvester, Judith, and Suzanne Huffman. 2003. “CNN.” Newspaper Research Journal (Special Issue—Refl ections on an American Tragedy: Media Studies of September 11, 2001) 24 (1): 22–30. Wu, H. Denis, Judith Sylvester, and John Maxwell Hamilton. 2002. “Newspaper Provides Balance in Palestinian/Israeli Reports.” Newspaper Research Journal 23 (2–3) (Spring/Summer). Sylvester, Judith. 2000. “Q Methodology and Social Marketing: Interpreting Racial Attitudes toward Health Care.” Operant Subjectivity 23 (2): 52–73. Sylvester, Judith, LeAnne Daniels, and Andy Bechtel. 1999. “Covering the Clinton-Lewinsky Story: Newsroom Decision-Makers Tell All.” Southwestern Mass Communication Journal 15 (1): 47–58. Sylvester, Judith. 1996. “Newspapers: Traditional News Media Facing Revolutionary Change.” In Mass Communication in the Information Age, ed. William David Sloan, Shirley Staples Carter, James Glen Stovall, and William J. Gonzenbach. Northport, AL: Vision. Sylvester, Judith. 1995. “Media Research Bureau Black Newspaper Readership Report.” In Milestones in Black Newspaper Research, ed. Fred H. Black and Gail Baker Woods. Washington, D.C.: National Newspaper Publishers Assoc. Vaughn, S. L., R. G. Frank, L. R. Leach, G. O’Neal, and J. Sylvester. 1994. “The Public Perception of Head Injury in Missouri,” Brain Injury 8 (2) (Spring): 149–58. Dubbert, M., G. C. Sharp, D. R. Kay, J. Sylvester, R. Brownson. 1990. “Implications of a Statewide Survey of Arthritis in Missouri.” Missouri Medicine 87 (3) (March): 145–148. The Media and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Lost and Found Judith Sylvester the media and hurricanes katrina and rita Copyright © Judith Sylvester, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-0-230-60084-3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37039-9 ISBN 978-0-230-61129-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230611290 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sylvester, Judith L., 1952– The media and hurricanes Katrina and Rita: lost and found / Judith Sylvester. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-230-60084-0 1. Hurricane Katrina, 2005—Press coverage. 2. Hurricane Rita, 2005—Press coverage. 3. Journalists—United States. I. Title. HV636 2005.G85 S94 2008 976’.044—dc22 2007039403 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Macmillan India Ltd. First edition: April 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To the journalists of Katrina and Rita. May their outrage and their courage continue to see us through. Contents List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii 1 Newspaper Section Introduction 1 Jim Amoss, Editor, Times-Picayune 1 James O’Byrne, Features Editor, Times-Picayune 8 Doug MacCash, Art Critic, Times-Picayune 22 Mark Schleifstein, Staff Writer, Times-Picayune 25 Linda Lightfoot, Managing Editor Emeritus, The Advocate 32 Stan Tiner, Executive Editor, Biloxi Sun Herald 35 Dennis Spears, Night Editor, American Press 47 Leslie Eaton, Business Reporter, New York Times 57 Karen Brooks, Reporter, Dallas Morning News 61 2 Photographers 67 Irwin Thompson, Photo Editor and News Photographer, Dallas Morning News 68 Michael Ainsworth, Staff Photographer, Dallas Morning News 72 Tom Fox, Staff Photographer, Dallas Morning News 77 Melanie Burford, Staff Photographer, Dallas Morning News 79 Eric Gay, Photographer, Associated Press 81 David Rae Morris, Freelance Photographer 86 Lori Waselchuk, Freelance Photographer 90 3 Broadcasting 93 Garland Robinette, Talk Show Host, WWL-Radio 93 David Vincent, News Director, WLOX-TV 101 Phil Archer, Reporter, KPRC-TV 107 Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor, NBC Nightly News 110 viii ● Contents Frieda Williamson Morris, Southeast Bureau Chief, NBC News 118 Jack Womack, Senior Vice President of Operations and Administration, CNN/U.S. 121 Susan Roesgen, Anchor/Reporter, WGNO-TV, CNN 128 Gary Tuchman, National Correspondent, CNN 136 David Mattingly, National Correspondent, CNN 142 Tracy Smith, Correspondent, CBS News 150 Harry Smith, Anchor, CBS News Early Show 156 Cami McCormick, Correspondent, CBS News 159 Russell D. Lewis, Southern Bureau Chief, NPR 167 John Burnett, Correspondent, National Desk, NPR 169 Greg Allen, Correspondent, NPR 176 Scott Horsley, Correspondent, NPR 181 4 Media Support 185 The Manship School of Mass Communication and Belo Corp. 185 The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma 192 Mission Possible 192 Sources and the Media 197 Max Mayfi eld, Director Emeritus, National Hurricane Center 197 Ivor Van Heerden, Director, Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes, LSU Hurricane Center 199 Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, Commanding General, First United States Army 201 Sean Reilly, State and Local Legislature Task Force, Louisiana Recovery Authority 205 5 The Final Chapter 211 Appendix 215 NWS Katrina Bulletin 215 Notes 217 Index 223 List of Illustrations Figures 1.1 Times-Picayune staff members watch Governor Kathleen Blanco’s press conference in the Holliday Forum of the Manship School’s Journalism Building soon after their evacuation from New Orleans. 6 1.2 Even the Biloxi city sign was damaged in the city where casino boats came ashore and restaurants and other businesses were destroyed. 38 1.3 FEMA trailer parks, such as this one in Cameron Parish, dotted the Louisiana landscape for more than two years. 50 3.1 Structures weakened by wind and water, typical of the damage in New Orleans, which led to collateral damage to vehicles. 96 3.2 The water was so high in the houses in St. Bernard Parish that ceiling fans warped and contained seaweed souvenirs. 139 3.3 For months after Katrina, bits and pieces of people’s lives were piled up beside the roadways and included everything from toys to toilet seats to boats. Many piles were 6 feet high and stretched for miles. The ultimate solution was to bury all of it in landfi lls dug for this purpose in the parish. 149 3.4 NPR correspondent Scott Horsley assisted in rescuing two dogs left behind in St. Bernard Parish. No one knows how the dogs (which belonged to next door neighbors) managed to stay together and get on the pile of rubble that was completely surrounded by water. 182 x ● List of Illustrations 4.1 Belo television station employees from Louisiana and Texas work outside of the LSU Journalism Building, while a reporter from the Belo Washington bureau prepares a report under the cover of a bus stop on August 31, 2005. 188 4.2 Animal-control people checked on the health and well-being of rescued pets inside Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus. A major inoculation program was under way to ensure the health of both the animals and the people who were caring for them. 194 4.3 Lt. Gen. Russel Honore explains to NBC Nightly News reporter Tom Costello how federal and National Guard troops were working together in the New Orleans area search-and-rescue and recovery missions. 202 Map New Orleans neighborhoods affected by fl ooding after Hurricane Katrina. 214