Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Covering Hurricanes: Before, During and After the Storm

By John Pope

On the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, lessons from a newsroom that anticipates disaster every summer.

The Deadly Choices at Memorial

By Sheri Fink, Paolo Pellegrin, Stephen Engelberg, Susan White, Ilena Silverman, Aaron Retica, David Ferguson, Charles Wilson, and Krista Kjellman Schmidt

This gripping narrative, which exposes the decision-making that left 18 patients dead after injections of painkillers and sedatives in a flooded hospital in New Orleans, is a winner of the 2010 Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma. It was originally published by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine in August, 2009.

New Orleans Needs Santa, Now!

By John Pope

In the first scene of John Patrick Shanley's remarkable play "Doubt," a priest delivering a sermon has this to say about the aftermath of a traumatic event: "Imagine the isolation."

Letter From New Orleans: Facing Two Storms

By John Pope

A reporter from The Times-Picayune in New Orleans reflects on the arrival of Hurricane Gustav almost exactly three years after the descent of the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina.

Covering Katrina's Aftermath

Biloxi Sun Herald Reporter Josh Norman

By Maria T. Alvarez

Getting up at 5 a.m. to meet a 2 p.m. deadline, Biloxi Sun Herald reporter Josh Norman is in the eye of the storm—working 15-hour days covering the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina in the small town of Pass Christian, Miss.

Covering Katrina's Aftermath

Times-Picayune Reporter Michael Perlstein

By Gina Barton

When reporter Michael Perlstein stayed on the front lines of the New Orleans Times-Picayune's hurricane Katrina coverage, he had no idea what he was getting into.

Reporting on a Chaotic Relief Effort

By Penny Cockerell

Now that the military has moved in and other state agencies have responded to Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, some would think that all is under control. It isn’t.

The Scene in Mississippi

By Matt Sloane

This was my first time covering a hurricane, and as luck would have it, it was one of the deadliest hurricanes in history.

A Sense of Outrage

By Gavin Hewitt

Running through the coverage of Katrina, like an electric current, was outrage. It is an emotion that stands out in television coverage because it is rare. Most reporters shy away from letting their emotions show.

Hurricane Opens Trauma Wounds

By Frank Ochberg

Now that a major storm has struck the same regions that were battered last year, people face something called re-traumatization. What does that mean and what can we do about it?