Katrina revealed ineptitude?of the press, that is.

by EdH May 24, 2006 9:06PM PDT

As hurricane and election season approach...Demagogues ready to play card to theh hilt.....

LINK

In fact, it is difficult to think of a bigger media scandal in my lifetime than the fraudulently inaccurate coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
...

In all of Louisiana, not just New Orleans, the total dead from Katrina was roughly 1,500. Blacks did not die disproportionately, nor did the poor. The only group truly singled out in terms of mortality was the elderly. According to a Knight-Ridder study, while only 15 percent of the population of New Orleans was over the age of 60, some 74 percent of the dead were 60 or older, and almost half were older than 75. Blacks were, if anything, slightly underrepresented among the dead given their share of the population.

This barely captures how badly the press bungled Katrina coverage. Keep in mind that the most horrifying tales of woe that captivated the press and prompted news anchors to scream?quite literally?at federal officials occurred within the safe zone around the Superdome where the press was operating. Shame on local officials for fomenting fear and passing along newly minted urban legends, but double shame on the press for recycling this stuff uncritically. Members of the press had access to the Superdome. Why not just run in and look for the bodies? Interview the rape victims? Couldn?t be bothered?

...

That faultless paragon of media scrupulousness Dan Rather proclaimed it one of the ?quintessential great moments in television news.? Christiane Amanpour explained, ?I think what?s interesting is that it took a Katrina, you know, to bring us back to where we belong. In other words, real journalists, real journalism, and I think that?s a good thing.?

Nonsense. The media completely dropped the ball.
An inconvenient truth.

Discussion is locked

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Great,

by duckman May 24, 2006 9:16PM PDT

now we are going to have the same people re launch the lies and half truths and distortions that we went through last year blaming Bush for the mess

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Democrats have little else...

by EdH May 24, 2006 9:26PM PDT

I was watching CNN (yes!) this morninig and they did a propaganda piece on Al Gore's propagannda movie. They ended the report referring to the film's use of "Bush's greatest failure, Hurricane Katrina"! The reported sounded quite gleeful.

Bush caused the hurricane!

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"Bush's greatest failure, Hurricane Katrina"!

by JP Bill May 24, 2006 10:13PM PDT

You interpret that statement as

Bush caused the hurricane!

In your mind "greatest failure" and "caused" mean the same thing?

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Yep...

by EdH May 24, 2006 10:29PM PDT

If I hear, "Leonardo's greatest success, the Mona Lisa." I assume that means Leonardo created the Mona Lisa.

If I hear, "Ford's greatest failure, the Edsel" I assume that means Ford created the Edsel.

It's not "in my mind", it's simple English, mon frer.

(that's Canadian for bro)

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Semantics, EdH -- if he'd said "Bush's response to Katrina,"

by Dave Konkel [Moderator] May 24, 2006 10:51PM PDT

would you be any happier? "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job" has entered the American vernacular, indicating someone who's completely out of touch with reality about his underlings' performance. Unfortunately, the Katrina response is far from his biggest failure -- and there are so many from which to choose <sigh>.

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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Some people don't recognize a joke when they see one?

by EdH May 24, 2006 11:29PM PDT

Obviously I know what CNN was trying to say, but I recognize the subtext as well, ''It's all Bush's fault.''

BTW: your comment about Brown is just one of the widely accepted lies and half truths and distortions alluded to above. Michael Browne was a scapegoat. The press booted that one too

LINK

The good news is that with: (1) the passage of time; (2) former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown's frank and forceful testimony before both House and Senate committees; (3) the media's eventual publication of two August 2005 transcripts showing that Mr. Brown WAS fully focused on and leading the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, and (4) Mr. Brown's many media appearances since Laura Ingraham interviewed him on her radio show on March 2; the restoration of Mr. Brown's well-deserved reputation as a highly competent manager and a compassionate conservative has largely been accomplished.

But feel free to join the propaganda brigade.

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i guess nagin refuseing amtracks help

by Mark5019 May 24, 2006 11:31PM PDT

or the busses were bushes fault allso.
no deserves all it gets they reelected that jerk.

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frer.

by JP Bill May 24, 2006 11:24PM PDT

Not Canadian for anything

fr

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It's been a long time since I took Canadian...

by EdH May 24, 2006 11:33PM PDT

or is that Canadien? Too many spelling issues; they need to clear them up, non?

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long time since I took Canadian.

by JP Bill May 24, 2006 11:57PM PDT

Perhaps you should focus on Mexican

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(NT) (NT) si* (*yes)

by WOODS-HICK May 25, 2006 2:25AM PDT

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imbo katrina was a national disaster

by WOODS-HICK May 24, 2006 11:57PM PDT

the buck floats up to the president. apparently they do not receive tv in crawford. maybe it is too isolated from responsibility. the famous photo of our president looking down on the little folks on the gulf coast is very telling. it is hard work to see the folks on the rooftops from whatever altitude af1 was at. I hear he saw the dvd instead. out of touch, out of mind.

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but nagin refused help

by Mark5019 May 25, 2006 12:03AM PDT

and they reelected him
why were the busses drowned? why did he refuse amtracks offer? why why why

yet you say was bushes fault thats funny

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I did NOT say it was bush's

by WOODS-HICK May 25, 2006 12:18AM PDT

fault. It is the responsibility of any president to take the lead in national disasters. imbo his tx ranger mitt could not handle the slow pitch of katrina.

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by Evie May 25, 2006 12:07AM PDT

We were told all DURING Katrina about all sorts of catastrophes that simply DIDN'T happen. The media was out there patting themselves on the backs for bringing us the "real story" and complaining about how out of touch the government was. If only they had turned on the TV they would get the real story! As it turned out, the TV "reporting" contributed to the disaster. Relief workers didn't go certain places because of fear of being shot at (wasn't happening). Precious resources were wasted to deal with such catastrophes as hundreds of bodies stacked in a freezer at the Convention Center, etc.

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Taking liberties with freedoms

by MarciaB May 25, 2006 1:22AM PDT

It seems to me that the press, as a whole, is pushing the limits of the First Amendment. Even those that have been hailed as outstanding presenters of information for the people have become nothing more than glorified examples of "The National Enquirer."

The editors and reporters hide behind the veil of the freedoms accorded them by our Constitution and Bill of Rights, sometimes to the detriment of those whom they state they are serving (the public).

LAST ONE IN ... (Read: Last one to report on something really, really important, especially if it is a "secret" something that was gotten by whatever means necessary from someone that might know something and has no morals or standards in regard to telling someone else for their own benefit knowing that whoever they tell will not in turn tell on them because they don't have to because they are protected by some laws regarding sources and freedoms of the press, etc., etc., etc., until it makes you sick) ... IS A ROTTEN EGG!!

Crazy, isn't it?

Freedom of the press addresses only the "freedom," not necessarily the "responsibility." That is where the lines have become blurred to the point that media sources can now feel safe to toss out ANYTHING for your viewing/listening/reading pleasure REGARDLESS of whom it may harm. And then when they are called on it they run and jump behind the Bill of Rights and cry "Foul!!"

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Katrina revealed ineptitude?of the press, that is.

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