On Sunday, May 22, an EF-5 tornado with winds in excess of 200-mph sliced a half-mile wide path through the heart of Joplin, Mo., a community of nearly 50,000 residents. During its destructive 32-minute assault, it scoured the bark off trees, scraped homes and businesses from their foundations and left—by last count—159 dead, including one Globe newsroom staffer.
The storm damaged or destroyed 8,000-plus homes, closed more than 450 businesses, damaged 18,000 vehicles and caused more than $3 billion in property damage during the 32 minutes its swirling black funnel scrubbed flat its route through Joplin. During 32 never-ending minutes—by many accounts—the storm ground its way into Joplin and the nation’s collective memory. More than 1/4 of the Globe’s staff lost homes, vehicles and property during the storm.
Joplin Globe Editor Carol Stark and Dave Woods, the Globe’s digital market development manager, will discuss how the newsroom dealt with online and print coverage of the Joplin tornado, the deadliest twister in the past 60 years. During this Inland Webinar, you’ll learn how they managed the newsroom during the time of extreme crisis. Topics to be discussed include:
• Breaking news online during a crisis using social and multimedia
• Approaching long-term coverage
• Prioritizing coverage and sorting information
• Remembering the reader’s needs
• Pacing the staff for a long haul
• Magazines, books and continuing coverage
• Emergency plans and system back-ups
• When to say ‘yes’ to offers of help and when to say ‘no’
• Dealing with the emotional toll the storm dealt the newspaper’s staff
Note: Ten percent of the proceeds from this Webinar will go to help Joplin tornado victims.
PRESENTERS
With Carol Stark, editor, and Dave Woods, digital market development manager, Joplin Globe, Joplin, Mo.
COST
$75 for MPA members
REGISTRATION
Register online at http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=996672.
