Shifting hurricane story meant slow initial coverage
JUST ABOUT any reader complaint or comment I write about this week would pale in comparison to the tragedy the people of Louisiana and Mississippi have confronted from Hurricane Katrina.
Some Globe readers felt so moved by the despair they felt from the stories and images they saw that they called this office not so much to criticize but to make a plea for more coverage. If there was one overarching sentiment from readers about the natural disaster, it was to request more information and explanation.
''It's heartbreaking," said a caller who identified herself only as Eleanor. ''Why does it seem that we were all so slow to help all those people who are stranded?"
Was the Globe aggressive enough in its coverage of Katrina? Some readers didn't think so at first.
Disasters -- especially those on our own soil -- often mobilize news staffs to produce some of their finest work. I witnessed that firsthand in the Globe newsroom on Sept. 11, 2001.
Planning news coverage of a disaster like a major hurricane is tricky. It's impossible to predict where a storm will ultimately hit or how hard its impact will be. Assigning too many people for what might turn out to be a smaller storm is a loss of valuable resources in a time of tightening news budgets. Not having enough reporters and photographers on scene when tragedy breaks leaves readers feeling underserved.
Kenneth Cooper, the Globe's national editor, said the initial plan was to send staff reporter Brian MacQuarrie to coastal Mississippi, which at the time appeared to be the hardest hit area. The rest of the coverage would include stories from The
The brunt of the hurricane actually hit east of New Orleans early Monday. At the time, there was no hint that this would be one of the greatest natural disasters in this country's history. It wasn't until Tuesday, when levees broke and flood waters devoured most of New Orleans that the story escalated. The Globe, like many other organizations, worked quickly to catch up on the story, which grew more tragic and chaotic by the day.
By Thursday, coverage of Katrina's aftermath increased dramatically across the country, including in the Globe. Additional staff -- from Boston, New York, and Washington -- offered readers a more robust assortment of stories.
''Like 9/11 it's a major disaster, but very different," Globe Editor Martin Baron wrote in an e-mail last week. ''One was a sudden attack, the other was slower to become evident. The hurricane had passed before the real horror began."
Cooper said that as of this weekend, eight reporters and photographers were assigned to cover the story -- from Houston to Mississippi -- and that additional pages have been added.
Globe readers said clearly last week they want more stories about Katrina's aftermath and how they can help those devastated communities. It was clear by week's end that the paper had given this monstrous disaster the thorough treatment it deserves.
On a completely separate matter, many Globe readers asked last week why the listing of real estate transactions had disappeared from Thursday's paper.
The listings -- more a summary of highlights than a complete roundup of property sales -- were dropped a few weeks ago from city-zoned papers that are distributed in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline.
The explanation offered last week by Richard Masotta, director of advertising operations, was that the introduction of the new Sidekick section in June prompted some changes, including an end to zoned advertising in city papers -- the same page where the real estate transactions appeared. Unable to move the transactions someplace else, Fiona Luis, assistant managing editor for Living/Arts, who was responsible for the list, decided to drop them.
Sadly, no one informed Globe readers, who've come to rely on the listings to gauge their own properties.
''It's the first thing I look for on Thursdays," said Maureen Lydon, a South End resident. ''It's great gossip and to see what's happening in your neighborhood."
When asked about the listings last week, Baron said the transactions would return to the paper as soon as possible.
The ombudsman represents the readers. His opinions and conclusions are his own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. Our e-mail address is ombud@globe.com 
