News Coverage Losers

Washington Times ^ | December 27, 2005 | Mona Charen

[Quilla]

Reviewing the falsehoods, myths and misrepresentations spun by the press, politicians and pundits after Hurricane Katrina, one is reminded of Nora Ephron's bon mot: "No matter how cynical I get, I can't seem to keep up."

Most recently, we have word from the National Hurricane Center that Katrina was not a category 4 storm at all, but rather, a category 3 when it slammed into the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. So much for the notion the levees were built to withstand anything less than a category 4.

This is only the latest in a string of stories correcting, amending and often reversing what we were told at the time. The string is so long the fabric of Katrina reporting has unraveled utterly. It's enough to encourage caution, if not outright cynicism, about all reporting, particularly during emergencies.

In the hours and days after the hurricane struck, the press reported conditions inside the Superdome and Convention Center had descended to Boschian (Hieronymous) depravity. We were told "little babies" were being raped, and that stabbings and murders were widespread. The mayor and police chief of New Orleans repeated these rumors on television, thus transforming them from scuttlebutt to "news."

FEMA, believing the stories broadcast worldwide, showed up at the Convention Center with a refrigerated 18-wheeler and three doctors to process bodies. They were expecting, reported the Seattle Times, at least 200. How many actually died in the two locations? Six. One died of a drug overdose, another committed suicide and four more died of natural causes.

[Quilla]

Conclusion snip:

All this spending will go to the most corrupt state in the nation, doubtless primarily to the good friends of politicians. This public policy miscarriage will be due entirely to myths.

[Pessimist]

Good post.

Don't expect much coverage about this in the MSM.

[sinclair]

I state this as a matter of fact! Even if you send your tax dollars to this state in the hands of babies we have people in political power here that would steal it with a smile on their face. And, they would tell you what a good deal you got for that money they stole too.   

[CajunConservative]

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[martin_fierro]

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[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the pings. Of course the under educated and under bathed of the left will never see nor read this.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the pings. Of course the under educated and under bathed of the left will never see nor read this.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Clockwork Katrina, indeed.

[staytrue]

Nora Ephron's bon mot: "No matter how cynical I get, I can't seem to keep up."

I'm not sure this should be attributed to N. Ephron. In the early 1980's, Ed Hart of FNN (now CNBC) often quoted a trader as saying "no matter how cynical you are, you are not cynical enough." and I'm not sure the trader was the original source.

[ForGod'sSake]

Well done and thanks for the ping. Louisiana oddly enough(or not) is still run by Dims. They are after all, a Criminal Enterprise™...

[Liz]

Reading the MSM is like Planned Parenthood types wearing condoms----designed to give a false sense of security while they're getting screwed.

[Judith Anne]

This is so infuriating!

I cannot believe people actually give any attention or credence to any of the MSM, anything they report, any viewpoint they espouse, anything!