Not PC, but I've gotta ask...

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Old NFO

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Is anybody else as frustrated as I am with the media coverage? A lot of the problems elucidated this week are a direct result of not completing the recommended fixes from Camille in 1969. I grew up in Louisiana, and many times heard the excuse, well there just aren't enough funds to "really" fix this, so we will do the part we can- Now the people there are paying the price, and want to blame someone-anyone but the guilty parties.

Doing some quick math, the total devastated area is roughly the size of England! It encompasses three states and roughly 2 million people. For those who are not familiar with NOLA, there is basically one way in and one way out. The Ponchatrain Causway is out, most of the smaller bridges are flooded and the only real approaches are from the West. NOLA is the only place where the flood waters have not receded, and they have not had a viable EOC/TOC and emergency coordination since the storm began. The other areas in Mississippi and Alabama have multiple routes in/out and little to no looters, due to good preplanning.

I also wonder how many deaths can be laid at the door of the media? Their excuse of having to remain "above the fray" is wearing a little thin with me.

Watching the media reports last night and this am, I really wonder if any of the media have a clue-

"These people have been on this overpass for three days without food and water!"

The media has armed guards, transportation (satellite trucks), and free movement- Why have they not at least taken food and water in, which they have access to, and/or evacuated the most serious cases? There IS room in these trucks for that. Did they pass any of this to the NG? They knew from their own interviews the police were helpless...

"The troops are ignoring these people! Why won't some one help them"

Military troops normally have these little things called orders they are expected to follow- With no emergency coordination on the ground, they were being tasked first to survey the situation, then establish control, THEN rescue.

The latest report, "Oh. the helos are FINALLY here to rescue these poor people."

Ah... let me guess, the military has stabilized the situation and are now complying with the rescue portion of the task...

"There are 100,000 people here at the Superdome, why can't they evacuate them?"

100,000 people = 2200+ buses, most of the caravans are 10 buses That is a minimum of 223 trips x 8 hours = 70 man days You can't do that in 1 day...

"The poor in NOLA couldn't leave, there was no way for them to get out before the hurricane hit."

No mention of the free rides offered three days ahead up to the last night, no mention of the mandantory evacuation decreed by the Mayor- A large number stayed because they wanted to for "whatever" reason-

But they expected the government to bail them out and now all the coverage is how the Federal government has failed them- Again no mention of the #$% bad planning by NOLA city managers, and the LA governor (who has STILL not declared martial law). She also appearently was very slow to agree to federalization of the troops, which is necessary for Federal intervention.

Lastly, "why wasn't the Navy's response faster with the ships and support helicopters?"

Well, for starters, you don't send ships into a hurricane! Also ships sail at 22-24 knots maximum if the plan to reach a destination with any bunker fuel left, the hospital ship only makes 18 knots max and is coming Philly, so that is 3-5 days in transit to get support there. The Helo's weren't going in without fuel and some measure of safety (although the one CANG helo did shoot back at the person shooting at them).

/Kicking the soapbox back in the corner for now/ :cuss: :cuss: :cuss:
 
You ask good questions. I've been involved in organizing relief operations since Tuesday, and I point my finger squarely at the New Orleans city government, which has been catastrophically inept in its handling of the situation. All the complaining from the mayor and his emergency management co-ordinator are, IMHO, designed to cover up for their disastrous mishandling and incompetence in this whole mess. I hope that the truth comes out, but it's now "politically correct" to blame FEMA and the Feds for everything, rather than admit that the local government didn't have a clue.
 
Old NFO,

As some here may know, I am a freelance photojournalisst, and I spend a fair amount of time on some media forums (not as much as I spend on here though :D )

There are quite a few photojournalists heading down to the area, and one thing in common with them is that they are bringing extra food and water to pass out.

In fact, PJs that are on the route that the photogs are taking down there, are also giving them more food and water to hand out to the victims down there.

But no matter what, a old Toyota pickup can only carry so much gear, and 1 photographer can't feed 3,000 mouths by himself.

But they are doing what they can.

The other thing is that they won't tell you on the air that they are doing these things, because thats not what they do. Well, maybe Geraldo would :banghead: , but most journalists would just do it without tooting their own horns.

The journalists don't have to go down there, but they are often the first ones that can get into certain areas, and so they are the first to bring some relief to the people, in limited amounts. They also bring the people information, something they desperatly need.

In addition to that, journalists do communicate with emergency workers to let them information about where people are.

While there are bad apples amongst journalists, most do it because they want to improve the world.

I.G.B.
 
There you go again want logic and rationality out of the media. Won't happen. Combine irrationality, ineptness, and a pack mentality with stupendous ignorance of what it takes to mount a rescue and you get the coverage we are treated to.

I think it is pitiful but it is the best we have. :fire:
 
It's a lot easier to ask questions critical of the current administration, when all you have to do is talk into a camera and focus on, basically, only two sites, the Superdome and the Convention Center. What about the othe 90,000 square miles? What about the 24/7 rescue efforts for the folks that made the choice to stay in their houses?

Think all the people who're in distress couldn't afford to get out? Think again. What about Fats Domino and his famous pink Caddy, etc., etc.

The logistics of this catastrophy are beyond any government's ability to fix within a few hours or a few days.
 
...most do it because they want to improve the world.
Click to expand...

With all due respect to your post and position, I don't want journalists who want to 'improve the world'. I read that as 'manipulate information to suit a particular agenda'. I want journalists who report unbiased news without made up drama or conjecture.

So far, what I've seen is a bunch of network type trying to out-sensationalize each other to gain a larger share of the media market.
 
M-Rex,

Most journalists who cover things like this believe they can improve the world by showing the truth about the situation, and giving the people an eye into what is actually happening on the ground.

Really, very few images that are captured have the capability to change the world, and often the go the opposite direction of what the PJ thought.

I.G.B.
 
I can see where you're coming from. With that perspective, I can agree. I didn't mean for my post to be viewed as a sarcastic response. I hope that was not the case. I view 'changing the world' and 'reporting the news' as two different things.

This:
Most journalists who cover things like this believe they can improve the world by showing the truth about the situation, and giving the people an eye into what is actually happening on the ground.
Click to expand...
I can agree with. I think I may be in error by equating photojournalists with network reporters and will adjust my paradigm accordingly. Thinking back, I do remember that the photojournalists I've seen were 'rubber-meets-the-road' sorts and were rather down to earth. Reporters/network types didn't seem to fit into this catagory.

Mea culpa.
 
i definitely think the media should beat least bringing in some supplies when they go around there-

i do ahve to wonder jsut how well the evac info was passed around before the cane though- maybe some of tese peopel never heard. but overall, it really appears a bunch of not so smart people weren't really thinking.

However- in an emergency of this size, i really would have expected mroe help sooner. that the looting an violence got this out of hand was ridiculous.

even Bush admits he could have done mroe, time to face up to it guys, the govt let these people down, even if a good part of it was their own stupid fault.
 
Preacherman, thanks for confiming what I thought, sad though it is to hear that... :fire:

Itgoesboom- I would put you in the 1% category- Most could care less, they just want the Pulitzer shot... I have seen too many of your cohorts pass up the picture of the soldier/sailor/marine giving a child candy to take the picture of the same individual standing over a dead enemy :cuss:

Yeah I do Waitone- I "know" that is a novel concept- In 22 years on active duty, I did a few of these around the world. We were enroute and boots on the ground before the wind and rain stopped, mainly because we didn't have to play politics, as must be done here.

GOOD point Critter :banghead: I got a rather interesting lecture on that from Max Schildler, the original director of Meet the Press. In a sentence, he basically told me a "sob" story was worth 15 minutes and 5 nights of play, where a "feel good" was worth 30 sec 1 night.

Thanks to all of you for your responses, I'm glad to see that I'm not alone with my questions.
 
I just met a lady at the VA clinic in Las Vegas yesterday.(guard) Her whole family lives in New Orleans. They all left 3 days before the storm hit.There where some people with common sense in NO that did get out.By the way this is not pertanant to the story but she is African-American if that is the PC term right now.Nice lady that all I care about about.
Bob
 
NFO,
I know the Fox News Crews were pasing out food and water. I also know they were pleading for information so they could tell the people. There was none from the State or City.
That's where the problem rests, I Hizhoror was in Baton Rouge, he could have told the local Fox channel. or even called the HQ in New York and told them what the story was. Did that happen nope.
 
I've been involved in organizing relief operations since Tuesday, and I point my finger squarely at the New Orleans city government, which has been catastrophically inept in its handling of the situation.
Click to expand...


Right on, city then state both poor. I have been astonished by statements from the mayor, a brilliant man in his own mind. :rolleyes:
 
I know the Fox News Crews were pasing out food and water.
Click to expand...
dpesec, do you have verification? I've heard just the opposite from people there. If it's true, that's great and a MAJOR change from their normal method of operation.
 
NFO,
Well if you consider confirmation me watching Sheppard Smith doing it himself and stating that his news crew was also.
He kept pleading on the air something like "I'm not pointing fingers all these people want is information, please somebody".
I heard that several time during each of his broadcasts.
 
I point my finger squarely at the New Orleans city government, which has been catastrophically inept in its handling of the situation.
Click to expand...


Isn't this basically the entire history of New Orleans government in a thumb sketch.
 
NFO, I know this is also PC incorrect but I tend to like Fox because they seem to be real people and have a concern.
 
How about asking the people who were on the news befreo the storm hitting telling people, If you are going to s tay. fill up a few milk jugs. beer bottles what ever with water. At least 3 gallons per person. Hmmm then how about telling them that you are going to get flooded. you are going to need to move to higher ground BEFORE the storm gets here.

I saw a lady interviewed who had spent four days parked in a concrete parking structure, A black woman, she made comment that she looked for a several level concrete parking garage betweens two highrises. The reporter asked her how she was doing and she said she was fine, she opened the trunk of her car and she had several gallons of water, two pacakges of diapers, for her infant. a cooler with some food and what appeared to be several loaves of bread and boxes of crackers. She said she did not understand why the other people had not been thinking of similar things. There were too other cars occupied on the parking ramp. Pretty hard to damage a solid reinforced concrete parking structure. It was her and two kids, one low grade school age and infant, she made the comment that a half hour of preparation saved her a lot of trouble.
 
MSGT9410, you owe me a new keyboard... I spit coffee all over it trying not to laugh and/or cry :cuss: I pretty much agree with EVERYTHING the squirrel said :mad:

Pete f, you KNOW that won't get any coverage, it is too positive, someone who actually prepared? :what: Nah, that won't be in rotation at all... sigh

dpesec, Fox is not as bad as some, but Geraldo and Greta are about useless! I still think the best thing I ever saw was Geraldo getting his nose busted years ago by that neo-nazi punk on his talk show... :evil:
 
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