I am surprised to see all the photos of damage. Last night I was thinking Rita came in a lot less powerful than expected. What's the reasoning behind downplaying Rita???
Rita has done this kind of damage all the way from Port Arthur to Plaquemine Parish, LA. The whole LA coast has been hit like this--news is just starting to come out of Vermillion Parish and some of the other coastal parishes.
Geographically, these areas are very isolated. As voters they are very conservative and to a certain extent not fond of anyone showing up to do a newsstory.
It is simply another part of America that has historically been ignored, despite all the things that these people do for our country.,
At least most of them were smart enough to leave before this thing hit.
In two words: New Orleans. If any other area seems more devastated, they don't get all the nickels...
"What's the reasoning behind downplaying Rita???"
There isn't a "Bush Administration Failed" potential story there.
Politics. MSM news reporting isn't about news, it's about politics.
So they can continue to play up Katrina. Their not ready to let go of Katrina cause thats the one they can hammer Bush with.
Because it would knock NOLA out of the spotlight for more than 3 seconds. The media thinks the only thing in the entire state of LA is the French Quarter.
Before the Cane hits, the government informs the MSM about the potential danger. The MSM then tends to hype potential Cane damage to make sure people hear the warning. While the Cane is hitting, the MSM hypes the damage occurring to hype their viewer ship ratings. Then after the Cane passes through, the MSM tends to downplay the damage to downplay the governments potential liabilities. Its kinda of a symbiotic relationship or theory. Rita was the norm, whereas Katrina was the exception to the theory. A different agenda was driving the MSM when they began to incite race war in Katrina's aftermath by hyping the 'treatment of blacks' in the Super dome.