J840 Communicating Social and Environmental Initiatives

I am horrified by the images and stories of Katrina – still.

Agony reigns in the aftermath of Katrina. National Georgraphic

My particular horror, the unforgettable deaths of 35 nursing home residents who were helpless, trapped in their home and victims of rising water.  My connection?  My sister Barbara battled and finally surrendered the use of her legs to a debilitating disease that has changed her physical life.  She resides in an assisted living facility.  Since Katrina I have a deeper interest and knowledge of Barbara’s facility and their evacuation and contingency plans.  I know what will happen should there be an emergency.

New Orleans, then and now. One year later. National Geographic

The myriad stories of Katrina are real for me because of Barbara, because my childhood neighbor was a physician in New Orleans during the crisis and because the stories are those of real people; victors and victims.

Many of the real stories came to me through advocacy journalism.  I find the stories touching.  I am informed, shocked, committed, changed.

I desire real stories in the media. I want to know of situations that are tragically broken yet ultimately fixable.  I want to know about the survivors, those who are forever changed by circumstances.

I also long for objectivity in journalism.  I define objectivity as an unbiased accounting of the facts.  While it may be easy to get the facts, an unbiased accounting is harder to find.  I serve my need for objectivity by searching multiple sources for multiple points of view.

Are there other ways to develop an unbiased accounting of the facts?

-PegC.