Reporting from Biloxi

There is just way too much news down here for one young buck reporter like myself to cover in a week. I feel like I'm trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun.

The fact that Kent State University is down here volunteering with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts is definitely an important story. But there is so much more to this city that I don't know where to start.

Do I write about casino gambling or the religious communities in the area? Do I profile the fishing industry in Biloxi or the insurance struggles people are having? Those are just four story ideas out of who knows how many.

The beautiful thing about this city is that there is no one particular issue/story that defines it. But with that beauty is the difficulty in figuring out how to cover it.

I've interviewed more than 20 hurricane victims so far and each of them has a unique and compelling recollection of how they survived Katrina. I've spoken with religious leaders, ex-convicts, politicians, fishermen, drug addicts, children, police officers and even former champion boxers. Some of them survived the storm by hanging onto power lines and others did by hiding in fishing boats.

I could stay in this city for months and I would still be learning about the people and this city. This has been one of the greatest journalism experiences in my life.

I have four entire notebooks so far filled with notes so I have to stay organized. After running around from site to site, each night I run back to my tent and type my notes on my laptop. I have so much information to sift through that I'd probably have a heart attack if I didn't organize myself.

# posted by Aman Ali @ 10:29 PM