We want to clarify our comments made about Hurricane Katrina in last week’s Skiff View.We do not wish to take back our comments about the media using emotions to sell papers; rather, we’d like to explain what we meant.

We were not trying to downplay the effects of the hurricane when we said, “Katrina is a tragedy, but linking events to sell papers is an insult to the memory of those who died and an insult to all who read the news.”

The hurricane should be taken seriously, and it is a tragedy. What we meant – which some took out of context – was that we need to treat Katrina as its own disaster rather than comparing it to others. We never said the aftermath of Katrina is no big deal.

Who knew that a projected 10,000 deaths would occur? As of then, it was only 55. Who knew the storm would cause a huge increase in homelessness, violence or even an all-out city evacuation? Katrina is a tragedy. Katrina is its own tragedy, one that should not be labeled or compared to that of any other. No one compared Sept. 11 to the Oklahoma City bombing, or to the Columbine shooting.

It is not right to say Katrina is ‘our tsunami’ in a headline. The victims have every right to say this, but the media do not need to use this emotion to sensationalize an event that is sensational in itself.

Before coming to a conclusion about what our editorial board view is, please read past the headline – which sometimes can be deceiving – and read from the beginning to end. The media need to let the events speak for themselves and not inject emotions from the past.

Editor in Chief Gabe Wicklund for the Editorial Board