This document provides guidance for journalists covering disasters and traumatic events. It discusses the psychological impacts journalists may experience from witnessing suffering and dividing emotions from work. Guidelines are offered for basic safety and logistics in disaster zones, as well as tips for gathering accurate information amid chaos. The document also covers interviewing grieving sources, producing follow-up stories, and unique considerations for different disaster types like plane crashes and weather events.

1. Disaster,
Weather &
Tragedies

2. Hazards of the job
● Journalists can experience PTSD
just as military, police, fire,
doctors, and nurses can – have
to put own feelings aside to get
the job done.
● Dart Center for Journalism and
Trauma (www.dartcenter.org)
helps journalists cope with PTSD
– also, Poynter Institute has an
online course on journalists and
coping with trauma.

3. Divorcing your emotions
Journalists are in the
zone, working on big
stories. They divorce
themselves from the
suffering and stay
focused on recording
the truth.

4. Covering 9/11
AP photographer Richard
Drew captured a haunting
image of a man falling
headfirst from one of the twin
towers of the World Trade
Center. It became subject of
ethical discussions in
newsrooms as editors
debated whether to use it.
Many chose to. What would
you do?

5. Reporting techniques
Most major papers have plans for covering
disasters – know them and who has
responsibilities for what and where.
If your city has a disaster plan, a good follow-up
story is to check whether the plan was effective.

6. Basic procedures before leaving
● Check a map to see what routes lead to the
scene – what are the alternative routes?
● Find out if temporary headquarters have
been established for officials and media.
● Make sure you have all right email
addresses and phone numbers of editors
and others; charge your cell phone.
● Take proper clothing and extras, emergency
rations, emergency kit supplies.
● Have a full tank of gas.
● Bring plenty of notebooks, pens and pencils.

7. Handling the chaos
In a disaster, chaos reigns,
the news changes
momentarily, death toll often
changes radically within the
first few hours. You get the
best information you can
from eyewitnesses and
officials and then check
back repeatedly for updates.

8. Tips & tricks
Get basics but also specifics – numbers of people killed or injured or
evacuated.
● Think human interest – how did people cope? Survive? What are their
personal tragedies?
● Think about the chronology of the incident.
● Think about helpful information in empowerment boxes – where can
people get help? Donate blood or volunteer their services?

9. Sidebars
Sidebar - a story that gives readers new information or
more information than the main story can provide. It
should not repeat info in main story.
● Main story is comprehensive; sidebar should be narrowly focused on
one topic.
● Sidebars stand alone as stories so they need a reference to the main
story, just a line or two about the disaster, crash or other event.
● Use storytelling techniques to make them more compelling and vivid

10. Sidebar story ideas
● Helpfulness – give readers info such as alternate routes if
roads are affected
● Human interest – is there a compelling or unusual story
● Perspective – history of other disasters of this type?
● Location – something compelling about scene?
● Analysis – perhaps of the local disaster plan
● Other angles – rescue efforts, previous problems with that
kind of aircraft if an airplane crash

11. Graphics
Almost all disaster stories have
graphics – maps, charts,
timelines, illustrations, etc.
Graphics artist depends on
journalists to supply the
information – intersection where
accident occurred, chronology
of minutes and hours, etc.

13. Disaster basics
● 5 Ws
● Weather if a factor
● Where people go in case of evacuation
● Hospitals
● Disaster scene – get details of scene – emotions, sight, sounds
● Estimated cost of damages and property loss
● Eyewitness accounts
● Government agencies involved – National Transportation
Safety Board or Federal Aviation Administration
● Consumer information – where to give blood, get help, etc.

14. Disaster basics
● Red Cross and shelters
● Safety precautions
● Roads
● Survivors’ and victims’ names
● Crime
● Perspective
● Background
● Medical examiner/coroner
Example - http://www.wsj.com/articles/strong-earthquake-strikes-central-nepal-1429944379

15. Interviewing grief stricken people
● Makes the news event more real and significant
● Some see talking about their loved one as cathartic
● People relate to other people
● What if the person hangs up on me? Try Edna Buchanan technique – call the person
back and suggest you were disconnected. Or try a different person like a neighbor or
anyone in the house
● What questions do I ask? NOT – “how do you feel about your son’s death?” Instead, ask
specific questions about what the person was like – biographical questions. What was the
person planning or where was he/she going?
● Introduce yourself and you could also offer your condolences
● What if I start to cry? Be sincere, try not to weep
● What if person starts to cry? Stop interview; ask if you can come back later
● What if I say something insensitive – apologize
● Why interview people in times of grief? These types of stories make a news event more
significant and real to readers. People relate to other people, not vague generalities.
o For some people, it’s cathartic to talk about the people they’ve lost but for others,
grief is very private

16. Follow up stories
● All major disasters require follow-up stories for many
days.
● Second-day story should attempt to explain the cause
● If cause still isn’t clear, lead with what officials are
investigating
● If no new information, describe cleanup efforts
● Death toll should remain in the lead or close to it,
especially if it has changed
● You still need to mention what happened, high in the
story on second day, lower in subsequent stories
● Other follow-up stories could focus on:
o rescue efforts
o costs of rebuilding
o human-interest elements

17. Plane crashes
● One of first concerns is how many dead
and injured
● Get eyewitness accounts
● Reactions from relatives or people at
the airport
● Airline specifics such as name of
airline, flight number, type of plane and
number of engines, especially for small
planes and final destination sites
● Get perspective – how many plane
crashes of this type in recent years or
how this crash ranks in severity
● Comments from air controllers.

18. Natural disasters
● Besides the usual basics (death toll,
survivors, eyewitness accounts) get
information about natural forces.
at work such as weather conditions
● Get specifics – how high the flood,
how strong the wind, magnitude of
earthquake, etc.
● Find out where people are sheltered.
● Insurance issues
● Street conditions and utilities
● Sanitary conditions and food/water
availability

19. Weather stories
● Not always fall into disaster coverage
● Could be just prolonged heat, cold, wet
or dry spells or just a statistical roundup
of rain or snow to date
● Forecast – include for next day or
extended periods, esp. for prolonged
conditions such as flood or drought
● Unusual angles- especially if unusual
for the area or a particular time of year
● Human interest – how are people
coping

20. Weather stories
● Warnings – how to be safe in extreme temps or flooding, etc.
● Records
● Terms – make sure it really is a hurricane or blizzard if you
use that term, define flood stages or how strong wind must
be to be a hurricane