I have watched far too much coverage of the Katrina aftermath. In fact, I don’t think I have watched so much news coverage since 9/11. I do not have a lot of choice of what to watch, as CNN is the only news outlet in my list of channels that is constantly covering the event. This morning I did spend a bit of time watching coverage on some of the morning news shows.
What I began to notice yesterday and this morning is that the media is quickly and perhaps subtley changing their focus and are now desperately seeking someone to blame. They are quickly putting a negative spin on even good news. Note that the Houston Astrodome does not represent a great success in transportation, but a failure because it has already filled and buses are being diverted to other shelters. The headlines proclaim that victims are being “turned away” from the Astrodome. The media suddenly seem interested more in finding a culprit than in reporting the news. And in the media it seems that all roads lead to the White House. Here is my interpretation of some of the questions I heard the media asking various figures this morning.
Asked of Michael D. Brown, Principal Federal Officer for Hurricane Katrina response. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with us this morning. You must be a busy man, especially as you flail hopelessly in this putrid morass of your own making. You are clearly an incompetent fool and one unsuited for this position. Tell me, why are you doing nothing for the people of New Orleans?”
Asked of generic Republican politician A. “Millions of Americans who thought Farenheit 9/11 was the very height of journalistic integrity would like to know why President Bush has not yet toured New Orleans. Is it because he is preoccupied with satisfying his insatiable appetite for eating babies?”
Asked of generic Republican politician B. “For many years we have been told that New Orleans could withstand a Category 3 hurricane, but not a Category 4 or 5. For two days we knew this was going to be a major hurricane and yet President Bush, who was provided with powers of omniscience when he took this oath of office, did not adequately prepare the region. Why is this?”
Asked of Governor Kathleen Blanco. Last night you warned the roving gangs in New Orleans that the National Guard has been trained in the use of their firearms and that they may shoot to kill. Why is it that you intend to kill people who are only seeking to find food or water to feed their families?”
A reflection by a news anchor. “I make $8 million a year and live in a penthouse apartment in New York City. I earn merely $7,983,000 more than the average New Orlean. So I believe that I speak for the average victim of this disaster when I say, “When will it no longer be too soon to cast the blame for this disaster on President Bush?”
At this point I am beginning to wonder what good the media is doing. Are they really helping this situation? Isn’t there more they can do? Surely they can use their camera time a little more productively than searching around for someone (who probably works in an oval office) to blame. At least wait until the situation has stabilized!
Anyways, I think it is time for me to turn off the television for a while before I get a little too disillusioned with the Mainstream Media. Oops, it’s already too late!
