Is it just me or has the news media undergone a small transformation in a manner that we haven't seen in a while?
I just finished watching a clip of CNN's Anderson Cooper take Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu to task, cutting through her casual Washington gibberish. Visually displeased with the Senator's remarks, Cooper throws back questions to her with a rare, angry tone.
Even FOX NEWS has been affected — it's real, must-see TV.
Is it possible, that as a result of this tragedy, our fourth branch of government might re-emerge from this with a new resolve and candor? Or will it return to business as usual, reading press releases and asking pre-prepared questions when complacency is likely to return?
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Which do you think is more likely, Greg? Blogs are part of the '4th branch' aren't they?
It's amusing and infuriating to see all the politicians trying to cover each other's backs with a bunch of out of tune 'attaboys' and 'doing a great job' and 'we feel your pain' — sentiments that clearly don't cut it with the starving and filthy (and their friends and family alll over the country). All these hacks plainly see their political futures forever stained by these fetid waters — and stained they should be. And Greg, you're so right — it's about time we saw some indignation from the press about the steady diet of BS they get fed from today's politicos. The 'truth is what I tell you it is' strategy is unravelling, for all to see. Ugly, isn't it?
It's odd to me the indignation among many reporters - the repeating phrase - "In America" - as if we are some how immune to natural disasters or a lesser standard of living.
It's hard to really know where things went wrong and why response was so slow from media reports, but I tend to think it's the same thing in all enterprises, lack of proper leadership. Yet at the same time, I think things were worse than anyone knew and then got even more worse. The sheer magnitude of area affected continues to utterly boggle my mind.
It's unfortunate that so many people were unable to move. It's unfortunate the people of lower classes were hit so hard. Yet even those who could afford to get out, may not have jobs to return to. I think of so many low to mid middle class with massive debt and unable to survive the loss of a paycheck for any extended time.
How does one really prepare for that? How does a government, dependent on votes say, no we can't give that much money for school, we have to shore up levees on the chance that a hurricane of huge magnitude hits this area? How can a government tell all of Southern California, you can't live there - it takes too much water and power and the likelihood of an earthquake are too dangereous.
Media jumps all over the edges - looks for the story. We hear clips from those who want to speak to camera, while their may be others busy organizing and working to try to make things better. International headlines go on about the most extreme negative conditions. Yet few covered that the first bus to arrive at the Astrodome was driven by a 20 year old man who just found it and drove it and got himself and others to a safety.
Yes many people need help. Yes I wish they had gotten it sooner, but we have to help ourselves too. I'm sure a lot of neighbors and co-workers came together and made things happen. And I'm sure a lot of people felt overwhelmed and paniced, gave up or fell ill. A lot of people were unable to care for themselves. I'm sure a lot of officials may have even gotten overwhelmed - like policemen who left their jobs.
I just can't judge them. I can't judge the whole situation. It is so big, so complex, and so far, hard to really know what is what. All I can really know, is that I hope we can pull together over this. I hope we can focus on ourselves as a country and learn to give to others. I hope we can learn to appreciate how much we have, and give to others what we do not need.
I've noticed this too. I'd love to believe that this will result in a change in the media. There's way too much reporting from an angle lately and I rarely feel like I'm getting the facts. It'd be great to see some true investigative and honest journalism without the usual disparagement that they throw in with it.
nope... I think it's more of the same crap. the news orgs have just found a new approach that appeals to the public, in response to all the criticism of the last few years about media apathy. The "fiery anchor or field reporter not afraid to speak out" persona. Let's see that same anger applied where and when it's really needed, instead of within an easily sensational news story sure to garner kudos for the in touch with the public angle. If the same outspoken questions and grilling were applied by the white house press corps on a regular basis, maybe we'd get some where. I think you can thank Jon Stewart and the Daily show for this change of tactic, actually. Stewart taking Tucker Carlson et al to task during interviews and questioning has touched a nerve, and it's just trickling over into the areas that are easiest to apply it to.
Part of this change in the way the media are handling these asses, I think, might have to do with some of them being terrified that Jon Stewart would get their show cancelled.
Of course, it could also be that they're just not the spineless schmucks we've thought they were.
Something else that just occurred to me, Tom Brokaw is retired; Peter Jennings has passed; Rather is gone. Those were journalists that were in it for years and set the tone for most of the current crop that grew up on those guys. They're gone now. Perhaps, the current crop are getting less afraid that if they call the President a douche-bag that Tom Brokaw will spank them for being rude.
The part of this whole event that gets to me is the way the media literally infiltrated the NOLA area BEFORE the hurricane arrived, and then how they added assets in the area days before the government arrived.
boingboing.net offered a story the other day about how Cuba -- which has been hit by almost every hurricane in the Carribbean in the last what? 30 years? -- has an advance plan for hurricanes: where people are to go, to whom they are to report, etc. Their property losses and death tolls are minimal (of course, the property loss figure has its own angle, I admit).
If the press can do this, and forlorn Cuba can do it too, what does this say about the US? Personally, I think the way the Katrina was handled by the government really sucked.
I watched Anderson Cooper rip into Landrieu live and laughed because she *was* thanking the government BEFORE they did anything. I'd like to be the first person to congratulate AC and shake his hand for what he did, but I would have had to be next to him when he did it in order to have the chance. She deserved to get ripped, in my honest opinion.
This is not to say that Landrieu (Landru? Are you one with the body? hmmmmm...) didn't have a good role in getting things to happen in NOLA in the last two days; I feel that she deserved it because expressions of gratitude, handshaking and back-slapping aren't due for a long, long while. She had no business covering that ground at that moment. AC rightly called her on her crap.
Personally, I *hope* this is a new era in journalism where they don't just take the spin for granted. I'm tired of hearing a candidate spin his way into office, denying his monetary interests, after publicly greeting an audience with, "Now you're the kind of folks I like: not just the 'haves', but the 'have-mores'," and then have a debacle like this.
I vote for "soon return to mindless parrotting". Because investigating stuff and thinking up meaningful questions is haaaaard. Only a few comedy writers on The Daily Show are really qualified to do it anymore.
"Pre-prepared" is the "irregardless" of the 2000s.
I've not read better commentary in the last week, dg. Whoever you are, you must write more and more often.
Your post is nice too, Greg. :) And yes, I think that some of our media will be changed by this event -- as some were after 9/11. You don't get involved as Anderson and Geraldo have been and come out the same.
You know what, though? They'll still have bias -- it'll just be a seasoned type.
"How does one really prepare for that? How does a government, dependent on votes say, no we can't give that much money for school, we have to shore up levees on the chance that a hurricane of huge magnitude hits this area?"
The Netherlands seem to do it. But then, they had the North Sea Flood of 1953; one can only hope that this disaster will prompt the creation of equivalent defences, because this problem's not going away.
Russert brought some serious anger this morning on Meet The Press (I believe they rebroadcast it in the evening on MSNBC if you missed it). His first question to Homeland Security Chief Chertoff was, "Are you tendering your resignation?" and it got tougher from there. Aaron Broussard, the President of Jefferson Parish (just northwest of New Orleans) lit into FEMA for actually preventing the delivery of three truckloads of water from Wal*Mart getting through. He ended up in tears in one of the most compelling, heart-rending interviews I've seen on television since 9-11. It's high time this administration of arrogance admits it can make a mistake, and it has made mistakes. Mr. Broussard said, "Beaurocracy has committed murder in Louisiana, and beaurocracy needs to be held accountable." If it takes some continuous investigative pressure from an outraged media to expose how this disgrace can have possibly happened than bring it on.
* Note: and by "disgrace" I mean people dying 3-4 days after help should have arrived. Of course Katriina was a disaster of unprecedented magnitude. That's simply no excuse for not getting thousands of people gathered in 2-3 places food or water or medical assistance for 4 days. No excuse except incompetance.
When Bush is going back to his vacation?
I usually like Russert...but notsomuch early this morning while watching the rebroadcast of MTP. He kept hammering at Chertoff with stuff like "shouldn't the government have brought in extra buses and free plane tickets to get the poor people out" (paraphrased).
Are you kidding? For what area? It's easy to say that about New Orleans NOW, after the fact, in 20-20 hindsight. It affected the whole coastline...what amount of the country should those free rides have covered? Who would get them, who would decide?
It would have been a bigger calamity if something like this HAD occurred: 1) if the hurricane/Levy break had not been this damaging, then the government would now be lam-blasted for spending so much money for nothing. 2) The disasters were as bad as they are, but the "wrong" people used the free rides to get to safety. And there would STILL have been thousands who would have refused to leave.
I don't mind journalists being spunky now and then, but don't stupid.
I think the simple question is this: If you knew that there was a great likelihood of the city of New Orleans flooding, and you knew there were almost 100,000 citizens there without means to evacuate, then who's job was it to execute a plan to help those people should the disaster actually hit? Either evacuate them pre-disaster, or be there to immediately help them post-disaster. Those are the two choices. There simply is no excuse for not getting food or water to the tens of thousands at the Superdome and the Convention Center in the first 48 hours. Expecting local authorities to be able to deal with an emergency that has decimated all their local systems is ludicrous and blame-shifting of the most disreputable and desperate kind.
What we'll see in the next few days however is something the White House is actually very good at: Rove and his minions out doing ferocious damage control and spin doctoring. Expect local authorities to be overwhelmed on that front as well.
All Hail Anderson Cooper.
The news media needs to continue with this 'wind of change' and challenge the government more often than not. Traditionally, news media outlets are "afraid they won't get the interviews or the scoop" by antagonizing government, but you know what? They should.
Right on Pauly.
It's not just about assigning blame, it's about putting pressure on the people who's jobs are to protect us. It's obvious that this administration, like others before them, if left to their own devices, will make covering their ass job one. No surprise there.
The outrage needs to extend to the question of what does this disaster say about our ability to respond to a catastrophe 4 years after 9-11? Shouldn't we have improved things since then? Shouldn't communication systems and protocals be in place for the tens of billions we've poured into the new Dept of Homeland Security? What happens when disaster strikes and everyone in Washington with a rank higher than the Capitol Hill shoe shine boy is on vacation? What happens when tens of thousands of citizens desperately need help from their government — how does that government perform?
MIserably is the answer, and journalists shouldn't tolerate the BS or the lame excuses for one more minute.
Noticed the same Greg and you must be a soothsayer as there is article in the NYT this by I believe a John Dowd on exactly this point - how Katrina has made some networks and correspondts find their true voice.
Greg you are an optimist.
Although it seemed like they ripped off their market state corporate skins for a bit [and who wouldn’t at the sight of such unbelievable incompetence], they will re-zip into their branded functions quickly.
Even during the event when looting became a necessary food and water function for many they quickly started shooting and spinning from the chapter of the playbook that describes how to cover the “black criminal element riot story”. When that turned to salt in their mouths, they tried to wobble into the “lets show the heroes”. The poor things don’t really know how to anything more than present a tried and true revolving set of look and feels to the consumer spectator nation.
For them to change, the nation has to change and ultimately the nation prefers cling to shopworn dreams. So sadly we will all slip back into our cocoons shortly.
But high marks to Ray Nagin