ABSTRACT
Newspaper reports and public speeches have well documented how the lives of Gulf Coast journalists, such as John McCusker, were dramatically altered by the storm. Although McCusker’s feelings of outrage were made public, behind the scenes lurk scores of more tales of how Gulf Coast journalists were dramatically changed by the disaster, not only in their personal lives, but professionally. The true signs of the journalistic impact of Katrina and the trailing Hurricane Rita must be found in the degree to which changes occurred on the media of the area. The personal impact Katrina had on journalists directly changed how they viewed the news and the norms of their profession. In non-crisis times, journalists are able to plan each day based on their experience, on what their usual sources are doing and what they know of the day’s schedule. Journalists are skeptical about reporting controversial news too quickly for fear of being inaccurate or putting their credibility in jeopardy.
