By Erin Chan and Josefina Loza

AASFE Diversity Fellows  

When the people of New Orleans had no electricity to give them light, no food to quell their hunger, no homes to give them shelter, they had Chris Rose, who gave them hope, humor and a voice. 

Rose, a columnist at the Times-Picayune, recounted his experiences throughout the horror and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina during his keynote speech Thursday morning at the 2006 American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors convention in Fort Worth, Texas.

Rose shared how he, his wife and their three kids took a circuitous evacuation route through Mississippi (made even more frustrating by the lack of a map). Eventually, Rose saw his family off to Maryland at the Baton Rouge Airport.

It was there he was inspired to write a letter to America.

The column, known now as the "Dear America" letter, became somewhat of an Internet phenomenon - so much so that it was forwarded to him within hours after he wrote it.

The column began:

"Dear America,

I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We're South Louisiana.

We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and we apologize for that, but we never were much for waiting around for invitations. We're not much on formalities like that.

And we might be staying around your town for a while, enrolling in your schools and looking for jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about us. We know you didn't ask for this and neither did we, so we're just going to have to make the best of it." 

Numerous columns followed about what Katrina did to the people of New Orleans and were later compiled in a book called "1 Dead in Attic" ($13 CR Books).

Rose gives the following tips for reporters and editors when covering stories that involve immense emotional suffering:

• Don't be ashamed to show your vulnerability, both in writing and with other people.

Strip off all veneers and don't be afraid to be afraid to write about being weak, Rose says.

• Don't be afraid to offend people.

Rose said he regularly cussed in his columns about Katrina and that the paper as a whole became much more raw, which resonated with readers.

• Maintain an openness between reporters and editors.

"We're in trench warfare together," Rose says. His editor at the Times-Picayune, James O'Byrne, added that managers must become concerned and aware of the well being of their reporters.

• Seek professional help when you feel yourself withdrawing.

Rose says his visits to a psychiatrist and prescription drugs saved his marriage and brought him out of a dark period.

• Be honest.

"People responded to a naked honesty," he said. "We're not the same institution because no one in New Orleans is the same person. It's all very personal. The life I'm living is so very parallel to the people living there.

To link to Chris Rose's columns, click on www.nola.com/rose.