"Getting the story and helping the folks of Mississippi"

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Vicki Smith, an AP reporter, based in Morgantown, W. Va., recalls her weeks covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi — and how she was changed by what she witnessed:

Then, in the middle of his eulogy, he startled us. "And God, please bless Darron and Vicki of The Associated Press, for being here with this family and for telling the world what the people of Mississippi are going through." We stared at each other, eyes wide, sweat dripping. Our mouths were open, but there were no words. Then we both had to look away. We had done so little in the face of so much devastation. And yet, they were gracious and grateful, something I found again and again in my time in Mississippi.

"Newspapers in Katrina disaster forge new bonds with readers" - The Associated Press

The journalists who survived Hurricane Katrina and managed to keep publishing from the disaster zone have a new appreciation for their readers as well as the media's crucial role in debunking rumors, several editors said Wednesday. Many reporters lost their homes in the huge storm and have been separated from their families, but are sustained by how appreciative readers are to see their hometown papers published each day, said Peter Kovacs, managing editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "Katrina had kicked our collective butts but somehow the paper had been printed," said Stan Tiner, executive editor and vice president of the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald, who shared a panel Wednesday on Katrina coverage at the Associated Press Managing Editors annual meeting. At first, both papers relied on the Internet to get the news out. Later, they printed thousands of copies from remote locations and gave them away free to evacuees and rescue workers, who were extremely grateful to see the hometown papers, they said.