Hurricanes

Watching the latest reports about Hurricane Wilma makes me think once again about how we cover such dangerous storms and the mixed messages that reporters give people by those ubiquitous standups by the ocean at the height of the weather. I’ve covered a lot of storms and hurricanes through the years — I’ve even flown in hurricane hunter plane through Category 3 Hurricane Gloria — and thought it was great fun until I was out on the ground during Hurricane Bertha in South Carolina. When a street sign went whizzing past me, I realized that quite simply, if it hit me, I would have likely been killed. Since then, I’ve had much more respect for hurricanes. What sort of message do the TV reporters send when they’re standing out there, telling everyone else, “Don’t you try this.” Not a good one, I fear.

Writing, Editing and Reporting

This is a blog about issues relating to writing, editing and reporting. Since I have made my career in the mainstream media, and think that the mainstream media is important, I will not be bashing the mainstream media here. However, I welcome everyone’s opinion.