By John Bednarowski
Marietta Daily Journal
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When natural disasters happen, and real life pushes the games to the back page, there buy generic cialis may be no one better to cover the situation than a sports writer.
That was the message Birmingham News Sports Editor Tom Arenberg relayed during the APSE Southeast Region meeting in Birmingham, Ala., last month.
“Sports journalists are journalists that happen to cover sports,” Arenberg said.”
He said the key word was journalist. Because when sports reporters have to cover a monumental event, they get to show their strengths: Working on a tight deadline, and then following with human interest.
That’s exactly the blueprint both the Birmingham News and the Tuscaloosa News used following the outbreak of 62 tornadoes that rolled through Alabama and the Southeast on April 27, 2011.
That day, more than 300 people lost their lives. Towns across the South destroyed, and it changed the way many in our profession in that area had to do their jobs over the following weeks and months.
“You couldn’t recognize anything,” said Tuscaloosa News Sports Editor Tommy Deas, about large sections of Tuscaloosa in the days following the tornadoes. “Only as you went on did you begin to realize how difficult a situation it was going to be.
“Every member of the staff did tornado coverage.”
“Every member of the staff did tornado coverage.”
Deas said the staff at the Tuscaloosa News realized, after the F4 twister that ripped through downtown Tuscaloosa; the city had limited cell phone service and almost no electricity. The paper was going to be the only way to get people information.
The paper set up an online people-locating tool, a Twitter feed that offered pictures and damage updates, and online photo galleries and video.
Without power, the paper was printed at the Birmingham News, and trucks would simply go into the decimated neighborhoods and drop off large bundles of papers for the survivors so they could remain informed.
Deas said his lead columnist, Cecil Hurt, became the community columnist, writing front-page stories every day. Other staff members filled in where necessary and any sports coverage that still needed to be done was put almost entirely on the Web.
Deas would find out the day of the region meeting that the Tuscaloosa News had won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News because of its coverage.
At the time Deas was looking for electricity to run his computer, Arenberg’s duties were changing at the Birmingham News. He left sports for more than three months to lead a “Tornado Team” and to oversee all the disaster coverage.
He said it was an emotional task, but one that people that cover sports could really show what they could do.
“In a situation like this,” he said. “You have a chance to impress the newsroom and the readers. Go for it. It’s an opportunity to tear down walls within the newsroom and make it a real team effort.”
He also said it really puts sports in perspective and makes people ask philosophical questions – should the games go on? And how can sports be used as a healer?
Miami Heat beat writer Joseph Goodman, from the Miami Herald, offered insight on how to be prepared if a writer is thrown into a disaster situation.
“Make as many sources as possible,” he said. “Meet people. Go to community meetings and talk to people. You never know when something will pay off.”
Goodman, who covered hurricanes in Florida and the gulf oil spill, also said don’t wait for people to make decisions. He said go find your own stories. And when you find those stories, take the extra steps.
– Work with police and now your politicians, they will be a big help in getting access to the information you want to report.
– Know how to use your I-Phone or Smart Phone, “Everyone can be a photographer and a videographer,” he said.
– Work with your photographer, “Images can cross boundaries we can’t.”
