American Journalism Review

Myth-Making in New Orleans - December/January 2006
The impressive media coverage of Hurricane Katrina was marred by the widespread reporting—sometimes attributed to public officials—of murders and rapes that apparently never took place. What can news outlets learn from this episode to prevent similar problems in the future?(more)

American Journalism Review

The Ties That Bind - August-September 2006
The local media's heroic performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina profoundly altered and deepened the relationship between the news organizations and the people of New Orleans. But can this close connection be sustained without added resources and new blood?(more)

American Journalism Review

To Love This City Back to Life - August-September 2006
A reporter for New Orleans' Times-Picayune reflects on a wrenching period spent covering the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the effort to rescue a damaged yet absolutely essential place.(more)

FreePress.org from Jurist Legal News and Research

The FCC and the Media One Year After Katrina -- September 8, 2006
Katrina crystallized and highlighted the current stereotypical media coverage of people of color. However, the news media have historically misrepresented or failed to cover minorities...The FCC can remedy this stereotypical reporting by increasing diversity in the ranks of broadcast owners, managers, and employees. However, since 2002, the FCC has failed its public interest mandate and ignored issues of racial diversity. (more)

Global Issues

Hurricane Katrina coverage
As a welcome surprise, the long-criticized mainstream media has "woken up" and reported critically on this issue, for it has been hard to avoid the issues of mismanagement, slow response, and even what some call down right incompetence. US media critic, William Powers, raises a few points quite well: (more)

The Guardian

Shock Snaps U.S. Media Out of Its Long Trance - September 11, 2005
Hurricane Katrina has stirred formerly complaisant news teams into a frenzy, says US media critic William Powers (more)

Media Matters

Washington Post Criticism Focused on CNN, Ignored Fox
A reader, in the Media Matters website, evaluates the Post's critique to TV coverage of Katrina(more)

New America Media

Katrina Lessons – One Year Later: Talk About Katrina Poverty Was Just That - Aug 08, 2006
Editor's Note: One year after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the talk about a war on poverty turned out to be just that, talk. There's no reason to think that will change, says New America Media's Associate Editor, Earl Ofari Hutchinson (more)

Newsday

Ethnic News Organizations Focus on Katrina - September 12, 2005
"Black general takes charge in New Orleans." "Undocumented won't be allowed to receive help from FEMA." "1,700 Koreans in New Orleans yet to be located." (more)

Nieman Reports

Ask This: Looking for answers in the wake of a hurricane
Thinking of the deaths in New Orleans: To what extent were they caused by the initial force of the hurricane and flooding, and to what extent by the flawed rescue effort?(more)

Nieman Reports

Questions for Journalists to Ponder in the Aftermath of Katrina - Winter 2005
When journalists report on an America different and poorer from their America, how does their privileged prism color the story? What can they do to insure balanced reporting?(more)

Nieman Reports

Remembering Those Who Are Usually Forgotten - Spring 2006
"...journalists should draw attention to the obvious fault lines that exist in how well various communities are equipped to respond to an impending disaster."(more)

Nieman Reports

Rumors, Race and Class Collide - Winter 2005
Class and race are inextricably bound up in New Orleans, and trying to make sense of it was as hard as trying to get accurate information.(more)

Open Democracy

The numbers game: Death, media and the public - October 6, 2005
When the media reports wars or disasters, why are death tolls announced before bodies are counted? And what does this do to our democracy? Jean Seaton, author of "Carnage and the Media," dissects the numbers game. (more)

PBS NewsHour

A report on media coverage - September 29, 2005
The media's coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has been criticized as some news reports of rapes and murders in parts of New Orleans appear to be unfounded. Following a background report, two media experts and a journalist who covered the storm discuss problems in catastrophe coverage (more)

USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review

Six Lessons from Online Coverage of Hurricane Rita - September 27, 2005
Though Rita's damage wasn't as widespread as Katrina's, Big Media got more personal this time - and bloggers used local knowledge to help tell the story. (more)

USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Media Coverage of Hurricane Katrina: Implications and Developments in Public Diplomacy - September 8, 2005
Due to the unprecedented havoc that Katrina brought, traditional media outlets have had to rely on a diverse array of methods to obtain and report the news. Some scholars have commented that this crisis may mark the first of its kind in that Internet technologies have been the critical medium for information dissemination in the aftermath of Katrina (more)

Washington Post

News of Pandemonium May Have Slowed Aid
Unsubstantiated Reports of Violence Were Confirmed by Some Officials and Spread by News Media. (more)