I think they're doing about par for the course. At least in this case it actually is a big event and not their usual practice of resorting to scare tactics and sensationalism to get peoples' attention.

I did get a good chuckle from a spliced together clip that showed a bunch of back-to-back videos of reporters out "braving the elements" and "sacrificing themselves" to bring us the news. Some of these people were really out there in the thick of it, screaming wind and driving rain -- the whole nine yards, yet the camera lenses manage to be relatively free water droplets. So far so good, then they cut to some schmuck that either had bad timing or wasn't able to get close enough to where all the action was. Sure he's standing in about a foot of water, but there's no rain, no wind, but the camera lense is absolutely covered with water droplets to where you can barely see anything. Looked like a lame attempt at drama to me. I like to think he got some razzing from his co-workers for that little stunt.

 

I can not comment on the TV coverage of this storm (TV currently tu), but I assume they have the same sort of nitwits on the scene as in the past year. (I bet they showed someone in NO, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Mobile, and one of those reporters stated we probably got the worst of the storm, totally disregarding where the eye hit land, and totally disregarding what was not within viewing distance).

For internet coverage, most of the major networks seem to depend on AP reports. The best info I have seen on the internet seems to be from the newspapers of Baton Rouge and Los Angeles (believe it or not) (there may be others).

As an aside, the mayor of New Orleans seems a bit of a twit. He complained of military helicopters being diverted from dropping stuff in the levee breech so the helicopters could help to rescue stranded live people. At the time, the breech was not just a load or two from being contained. I guess the mayor figured the people to be rescued were not from a precinct that went for him in the previous election. The mayor could have been a bit more tactful than saying something to the effect we are pushing the dead bodies away so we can rescue the live people (those live people must have been in a precinct that went for the mayor). Makes me better appreciate the mayors of New York and DC during 9/11.

Interesting to see that the parishes (counties) in Louisiana have presidents.

 

They're doing OK. It sure is not easy.

For those who think there is too much coverage, turn the TV or radio OFF.

 

Yes, they're doing "OK".

It's a business; it's ratings.

 

I just love how the reporters stand in 150 mph wind and slashing rain. Then they criticize people for walking outside. Hello?! Why are you there!

Media in disasters - #1 reality TV

 

I nominate that for the "post of the day." Possibly the week... maybe even the month.

 

People have short memories and the media is not much better. I swear, you wonder where some of them have their brains hid when listening to questions like that. Not having TV or Satellite anymore, most of my news comes from the Internet and Radio. It seems to me some of the radio reporters have more sense.

Global Warming is THE buzzword and the cause of EVERY little bit of bad weather....didnt you know that?

And how many reporters remember their old, boring days in high school Science class when Geology was the subject taught?

 

Maybe some of the reporters didn't make it to their geology class because of foul weather, due to global warming. (kidding)

 

With reference to the comments that no one knew this storm was going to be catastrophic. Odd to read comments from when Katrina hit lower Florida - people in the are affected area said the same thing, though a lot seem to be attributed to that being only a Cat 1 storm at the time. Regardless of category, it was still a hurricane - and hurricanes are all nasty. This was the third time in the past year that NO has been evacuated - NO was lucky the previous two times since the storms passed well east in both prior cases. But the reason the calls for evacuation were given in all cases was all hurricanes have the potential to cause a lot of problems, and all hurricanes can change directions before hitting land, and all hurricanes have the potential of doing whatever they want after getting over land (ie, staying in one area and dropping 15 inches of rain, or moving inland at 40 mph). Regardless, one has to assume the worse and hope for the best.

It is sort of odd to see so much destruction of a southern area, and no associated quotes to the effect "it sounded like a freight train".

While all the coverage of this hurricane has been going on, has the media mentioned the typhoon passing in the vicinity of the Mariana islands in the Pacific? One never hears it from the media, but Guam and the islands just north are part of the US, and they had a typhoon this week.

 

Because it's "over there" and not "over here".

Hurricanes and Typhoons are essentially the same thing. But Typhoons are far larger, more horrendous and more devastating. But.....

 

(in the world of tropical cyclones, the term varies locally. In the vicinity of the US, the term is hurricane. In the north west pacific, the term is typhoon (I think that means north of the equator and west of the international date line). I have seen the term cyclone and severe tropical cyclone used for such storms in the southwest pacific. Regardless of term used, all those storms pack a nasty punch.)

It may be over there, but if the locals suffered during WW2 because they were considered part of the US (as was the case for Guam), or if they are now US citizens (Guam and the Mariana Islands), then it is sort of odd to totally disregard them and to totally disregard what is happening there.

 

We get Tropical cyclones here...

 

wow, i just saw this post. Im going to voice my oppinion. I think the media should give it a rest now. Im about 'waist deep' in Katrina coverage. I watched the news last night and flicked back and forth an saw THIRTY MINUTES of coverage on the storm and NOLA....oh yeah, and they squeezed in teh sports segment that no one cares about. No world politics, no war, no local coverage about what may have happened....it all got bumped for OLD news. The media sucks in my oppinion, they are all about ratings. Im having a hard time keeping up with the world, even fox news is bogging down. It sucks, flooding, no food, people dying, looters, people coming to Texas, donations taken....we get the idea. That should take all of about 5 mins on the news at this point.

How about some friggin NEWS now.....????!!!

 

The flip side, now is a good time for a politician or big company to release bad news or embarrassing news - such would get lost in the hurricane coverage.

 

I watched MSNBC last night they were comparing New Orleans to Hiroshima.

What the heck is that all about. If I were Japanese I'd be irate.

I'm sorry the media is a joke.

By the way I hope Fats Domino is ok.