Striking a Balance Between Disaster Victims’ Privacy and the Public’s Need to know

HOLLY HILDRETH WITH BONNIE STEWART

When Hurricane Katrina swirled over the Gulf Coasts, people lost their homes, their belongings and, in many cases, their privacy. We offer you several perspectives on this issue, including a photojournalist’s commitment to capturing the reality of devastation and death; a newspaper editor’s decision not to run graphic photographs; and a Red Cross worker’s perspective on the media’s role during disasters. Our project director, Bonnie Stewart, reflects on the stories that she and her students covered while in New Orleans.