Sensationalism, defined on dictionary.com as “subject matter, language, or style producing or designed to produce startling or thrilling impressions or to excite and please vulgar taste.”

Journalists, of course, are accused of sensationalizing stories all the time. And in many cases such accusations are completely justified, particularly when it comes to the 24-hour news networks (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.) that continue to captivate television viewers, regardless of the veracity of their reporting. Then again, we journalists are accused of a lot of things (bias, for one, immediately springs to mind), and it’s simply part of the job. Yet every once in a while a story, calamity or other tragic event comes around that deserves the coverage – and an honest recounting of the facts – it receives.

Hurricane Sandy, for obvious reasons, is one of those tragic events; one that has unfolded before our unbelieving eyes as New Jersey, New York, and a handful of other states continue to pick up the pieces left behind one of the most damaging storms to ever make impact on the east coast.