— Compiled by Stacy E. Gimbel

“I think Katrina was the highest profile story in which news sites were able to fill in the gaps where government wasn’t able to provide information, where people were unable to communicate with each other. A lot of the most compelling info we got was from citizen journalism.”

— Manuel Perez, supervising producer of CNN.com

“It showed the power of the people’s voice. The Web isn’t just telling people news but getting them to participate.”

— Jonathan McCarthy, Editor, Online-L I of Newsday Interactive.

“I think it really showed the power of the blog as a news-gathering device. It showed the detail people were looking for at the neighborhood level.”

— Terry Moore, deputy editor of the Orange County Register.

“It’s really making us think seriously about having a disaster plan. We certainly could have a weather event that could keep us out of the newsroom. We need a contingency triage plan for how to keep the community informed.”


— Mary Leonard, managing editor and supervisor of the online edition
of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“It showed the immediacy of online journalism. People could report as it’s happening. That kind of flow of information is essential for the people on the ground and the people trying to help them from afar.”

— Glenn Rabinowitz, editor, www.voiceofsandiego.org

“It continued the evolution of online journalism. It cemented in the minds of users that the Internet is the place to go for updated information, unlike with a cable news network where you have to wait for it to come around in the cycle. You could find the latest video, pictures, and information about loved ones, how to donate and how to help. It was everything the Internet’s done, taken to the next level.”

— Michael Sims, director of news and operations of CBSNEWS.com

“What they should have done is online simulation. FEMA did a simulation a year ago on Hurricane Pam, a fictional hurricane, in New Orleans. It was uncannily accurate. You’re not going to show that in a paper. It was a prime partnership opportunity between journalism and the academy. The people who work on simulations are in public policy, meteorology, hydrodynamics and geography. There are so many disparate sources to weave together and distribute the load.”

— Steve Masiclat, associate professor, director of New Media MS
Program and co-director of Convergence Center at Syracuse University