Posted on 09/01/2005 9:23:19 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
No, this isn’t about Maureen Dowd or Paul Krugman. That’s too easy. It’s about a story on flooding in New Orleans today (1 September). Here’s the lead:
“The 17th Street levee that gave way and led to the flooding of New Orleans was part of an intricate, aging system of barriers and pumps that was so chronically underfinanced that senior regional officials of the Army Corps of Engineers complained about it publicly for years.”
The second and third paragraphs say:
“Often leading the chorus was Alfred C. Naomi, a senior project manager for the corps... [who] grew particularly frustrated this year as the Gulf Coast braced for what forecasters said would be an intense hurricane season and a nearly simultaneous $71 million cut was announced in the New Orleans district budget to guard against such storms.”
Here’s the source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/national/nationalspecial/01levee.html?hp&ex=1125547200&en=8ee34432ae4fa984&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Not until the ninth paragraph does the story imply (but fail to state) that budget cut – even if the intended work could have been done instantaneously, had nothing to do with the flooding. It quotes an expert “at the University of New Orleans, [who] said that was particularly surprising because the break was ‘along a section that was just upgraded.’ ”
The implication, gleefully trumpeted by rabid Democrats, is that George Bush caused the destruction of New Orleans. Not until paragraph 16 does the article note the system was only designed to protect against a Category 3 storm. It neglects to mention that decision was made by local officials, all Democrats.
For the truth, see a Chicago Tribune article the same day. Its lede says: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection projects around New Orleans did not contribute to the disastrous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.”
The Tribune notes the decision to build the levees for a Category 3 storm was “made decades ago.” Next, it says, “ ‘I don't see that the level of funding was really a contributing factor in this case,’ said Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, chief of engineers for the corps. ‘Had this project been fully complete, it is my opinion that based on the intensity of this storm that the flooding of ... [New Orleans] would have still taken place.’ ”
Here’s the source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1475305/posts
A competent reporter would have discovered that fact. And honest reporter would have put that fact in or near the lede. The Times failed on both points.
As for possible rioting and theft by Times employees, that was a joke. I assume they steal office supplies year round.
John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
Hehehe...exactly right! It's absolutely amazing. I am a scientist now, formerly a newspaper editor, and I admit nearly reaching into the realm of pseudoscience to explain the absolute impossibility of catching every typo prior to press. There's some dark magic about that fact...some ancient curse, I swear!
BTW, if you don't use it, you lose it. I think my staff would be appalled to see my writing now--not that editors ever COULD write!
I think we should start blaming Thomas Jefferson. He should have spent money for the levees instead of sending Lewis & Clark out west.
"Where is Hillary when you need her? </sarcasm>"
You're confusing levees with dykes....
maybe that's why he's slipping off the edge of the new nickel
bookmark
Available in the Federal Register under what title,
heading, or document number, etc?
That brief period of time is also known as an 'oh-no-second'. :=)
It's all well and good to point this out - but it so doesn't matter. It's attempting to reason with rabid animals. As someone who's basically atheist/agnostic, I'm wondering if we've become so secular that we've simply lost touch with the concept of fate and misfortune. There's not always someone to blame for every bad thing that happens.
Perhaps you might ask the poster who posted this clip.
They are the biggest liars and haters of American there is.
Worse than commies, worse than spies..they are supposed to be our own.
love the thread title.
Rogue, Berg, Scorpiaux and MEME are the worst. BTW, there is very little censorship there. I haven't seen a post removed for months.
But so often the first paragraph of new stories is in fact heavy dull metal -- mostly brass.
I expect the Slimes, the Compost, etc. to intentionally misreport stories. I find it laughable that anyone should expect the truth to emanate from any of these shameful liberal organs. I'm sure many of these libs were secretly shocked to find the extreme level of incompetence found in the actions/inactions of the Dem governor and mayor of NO. Of course their reaction in any bad circumstance is to blame a Republican for the harm a Dem caused. Nothing ever changes.
The NYTimes loots the truth and prints what is left.
The entire paper is one big liberal op-ed page. Objectivity is out the window.
What a waste of trees. Hell, what a waste of recycled paper!
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