How do you cover an episode of violent weather?

How do you make sure that all media platforms –

broadcast, online and print – are used together to their best advantage? How to you prepare your
“converged” newsroom for such a confusing and deadly event?

Those were the questions tackled by the 15 journalist-fellows who attended the National Press
Foundation’s “Understanding Violent Weather II” seminar in Norman, Okla., March 11-14, 2007.

The group was divided into five teams and challenged to come up with the best converged plan for
covering a large tornado. Here is a selection of their suggestions for meeting this challenge, with hints for
what to do ahead of time, during the storm and after the storm passes. The same hints could be applied,
with variations, to covering a variety of traumatic events.

Before the Storm

• All media
o Determine the chain-of-command long before the event. You may want to deviate from
your company’s normal hierarchy, for example, by giving the meteorologist enhanced
authority.
o Share cell phones numbers and email addresses of broadcast, print and online staffers.
o Anticipate a loss of power and cell phone coverage. Equip news trucks with ability to
transmit data for print journalists live as well as video.
o 48 hours in advance of a potentially violent weather, know where you’ll position reporters.
o Create a back-up plan in case station or newspaper is hit by storm. Have a backup
generator.
o Make sure production people and editors are in secure locations where reporters can
transmit information to them.
o Practice beforehand as a converged team in real time on smaller stories, spot news, and
general news. Everyone on team from reporters to camera people should have small
palm-sized recorders.
o Connect to citizen journalists so they’ll be available when needed.
o Create “kiosks” where people can upload information from their cell phones and other
equipment, and where they can, in turn, pick up newspapers and other information, when
telephone or power is out. These kiosks could be stationed at likely gathering places –
like fast food restaurants and community centers.
o Make sure TV and radio can share feeds during emergencies.
o Establish partnerships with broadcast/print organizations and colleges in the area in case
home base is disabled. (Many colleges have excellent studios and other facilities.)
o Establish contacts with Ham radio operators.

• Print
o Devise templates for stories in advance of the storm.
o Determine which department is responsible for what stories, etc.
o Put out safety tips, pre-planning concerns – i.e. how to stay safe, evacuation routes.

• Broadcast
o Have warnings – and explanations of what the warnings mean – to keep people
prepared.
o Know how to incorporate into your coverage pre-existing networks of web cameras –
such as traffic cameras maintained by local governments.
 o Talk with local reporters at newspaper and use them as guests and or phone interviews
for live TV shots.

• Web
o Stream video broadcast on website.
o Use live Doppler radar as storm approaches.
o Make weather alerts to cell phones available via web site.
o Weather graphics might include:
ƒ How tornados form.
ƒ Area observations from weather stations and observers.
ƒ Explain the Enhanced Fujita wind damage assessment.

During the Storm

• All Media
o Staff should go into an emergency schedule – 12 on, 12 off.
o Make TV helicopter available for broadcast, print and web coverage.
o Have reporters from broadcast and newspaper at both buildings. Partner broadcast
reporters with print reporters.

• Print
o Print reporters should be first on the scene because they’re more mobile - send as many
out as possible.
o Give print reporters hand-held video cameras and audio recorders for spot coverage and
feeds to web and broadcast.
o Print reports should report continually for all media and for the full next-day newspaper
story.
o Editors should delegate responsibilities for various aspects of coverage.

• Broadcast
o Storm team branding:
ƒ Wall-to-wall coverage centered on the meteorologists.
ƒ Introduce new graphics to create an extra level of identification and importance.
ƒ On radio – carry wall to wall coverage and update info online.
ƒ Traffic reports are vital because of high mortality to drivers in tornadoes and
other storms. Helicopter reports could be very useful with this.
ƒ Meteorologist should toss to chopper reporter throughout broadcast.
o Run pre-packaged safety stories on what to do.
o Solicit cell phone video or other video from witnesses and survivors.

• Web
o Television broadcast should be streamed on the website.
o Create montage of survivors talking to the camera.
o Graphics on the home page should switch over to the "storm team" look.
o Print reporters should report to online division on day of event.
o Place illustrations of storm shelters on top of the storm track map so people can figure
out where to go.
o Blogs can be used for people to quickly post local information.
ƒ Post what streets are open, where gas is out, etc.
ƒ Convey information to people who are remote.
ƒ Start a tornado blog for witnesses and reporters.
ƒ Podcast what to do next narratives.
ƒ E-mail alerts about important developments.
ƒ VODcasting on cell phones.
 o Solicit cell phone video or other video from witnesses and survivors.

After the Storm Passes

• All Media
o Remember that post-coverage of a major story is important as an archive that will be
viewed for years by readers around the world.
o Story ideas for the day after and beyond:
ƒ How to get help, where to get help.
ƒ How did public safety activities rate?
ƒ Narrative stories, tell stories of people who survived or died.
ƒ Environmental stories – habitat assessment.
ƒ Impact on local economy and public services.
ƒ Initiate a year-long series on survivors and how they rebuild their lives.
ƒ Video mini-documentary of one surviving family’s story from moments before
impact until afterward.
ƒ Embed a reporter within a family or at the national weather service.
ƒ Stories on funeral homes, local schools.
ƒ Tale of two cities.
ƒ Video of church services.
ƒ Video business owners, homeowners wondering how they will pay for everything.
• Print
o It’s important to provide basic information on available emergency help in print form at
emergency sites.
ƒ Provide access information for Red Cross, Salvation Army, insurance numbers,
fire dept, FEMA, etc.
ƒ Distribute papers widely at “kiosks” and other well-traveled venues.
o Encourage readers to send in pictures and share stories.

• Broadcast
o Solicit cell phone video or other video from witnesses and survivors.

• Web
o Interactive features for the community.
ƒ Establish bloggers to report on discrete damage sites.
ƒ Interactive map showing hotspots.
• Where power is out, where roads are blocked, etc.
ƒ Create a “post your own photos and videos” area for staff, viewers and readers.
ƒ Create a guestbook and invite readers to tell their own stories.
ƒ Make an interactive timeline of events and include roll-over videos or still photos,
charts, etc.
ƒ Online memorial/tribute pages.
• Interactive gallery of victims – click on photo to get text obituary, but also
video testimonials of friends.
o List resources on where to get help and links to important websites:
ƒ NOAA weather radio
ƒ National Weather Service
ƒ Red Cross, shelter info
ƒ Local Emergency Management Officials
ƒ Road conditions
ƒ FEMA
ƒ Hospitals
o Make prepackaged disaster kits available.