Is there a mainstream disconnect re New Orleans?

[Minstrel Boy]

Mainstream coverage I've seen this morning has largely de-emphasized the fact that the crisis is deepening, suggesting it's now largely about rescue and clean-up. Yet the water is still rising!

I'm streaming WWLTV and they've just said water is pouring rapidly into the city and rising fast downtown.

They've said the Corp of Engineers plan to drop 3,000 sandbags into the largest breach...

[ramapo]

1. Yeah it's wierd

I posted the same thought two hours ago...the streaming video from WWL is almost surreal. Is it all part of the media's happy-talk delusion?

[Connie_Corleone]

4. I'm listening too.

It's just getting worse and worse.

[Horse with no Name]

2. I think they have been told to downplay it

by Rove and only told to accentuate that BECAUSE of Hurricane Katrina--gas prices will go up. Everything will go up BECAUSE OF KATRINA.
That way everyone in this ME ME ME culture will be desensitized and only view that Hurricane Katrina hurt THEM and not concentrate on the fact that the City of New Orleans was put in harms way because of their thieving and raping of taxpayers and their money.

[raccoon]

6. By George, I think she's got it! nt

[MADem]

17. I think you are on to something, but there's yet ANOTHER bad call

on the part of the Turdblossom. He really seems to be doling out real clunkers in the advice department lately. Sure, chimpy may get a day of coverage, but that will be lost, forgotten, when the full impact of what is happening becomes apparent, as it eventually will.

And then people will ask the question: WHERE WAS GEORGE????? Why didn't he HELP?

Amazing--right NOW, they are talking about this VERY TOPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch the national lamestream media FINALLY get on the dime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jpak]

20. Yesterday

local RW talk radio in Pensacola was deriding the "liberal media doomsayers".

They kept saying that NO "dodged a bullet" and NO wasn't going to "sink into a toxic soup of death" blah blah blah...

I noticed the same thing after Ivan hit Pensacola. There was real devastation here, but if you got all your info from FAUX or CNN - nothing much happened.

Keeping JEB from looking bad was more important, than reporting the news I guess...

[JohnyCanuck]

27. New Orleans, who needs it?

Why spend good taxpayer money protecting New Orleans when it could be better spent blowing shit up first and then rebuilding it all over again in Iraq. That way both the "defense" industries as well as the construction companies both get the benefit. A great two for one deal.


New Orleans CityBusiness, Feb 7, 2005:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified millions of dollars in flood and hurricane protection projects in the New Orleans district.

Chances are, though, most projects will not be funded in the president's 2006 fiscal year budget to be released today.

In general, funding for construction has been on a downward trend for the past several years, said Marcia Demma, chief of the New Orleans Corps' programs management branch.

In 2001, the New Orleans district spent $147 million on construction projects. When fiscal year 2005 wraps up Sept. 30, the Corps expects to have spent $82 million, a 44.2 percent reduction from 2001 expenditures.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20050207/ai_n10176537

New Orleans CityBusiness, June 6, 2005:

In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding.

It would be the largest single-year funding loss ever for the New Orleans district, Corps officials said.

I've been here over 30 years and I've never seen this level of reduction, said Al Naomi, project manager for the New Orleans district. I think part of the problem is it's not so much the reduction, it's the drastic reduction in one fiscal year. It's the immediacy of the reduction that I think is the hardest thing to adapt to.

There is an economic ripple effect, too. The cuts mean major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20050606/ai_n14657367

[fleabert]

43. wow. bookmark those articles people.

a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now.

June 6, 2005


It really IS Shithead's fault.

[JHB]

3. Could be. Most of these things progress as Disaster --> Cleanup...

...News Directors operating according to formula might not realize that there's a new crisis on top of the previous one.

[MoonRiver]

5. I've been watching the Weather Channel.

They seem to be telling the truth. That's where I learned that the flooding is creating a huge crisis in NO and MS.

[meganmonkey]

7. Thank goodness I get most of my news from DU

I feel very well informed.

The first hour of Diane Rehm this morning (on NPR) was about the hurricane - she seemed pretty up-to-date and had guests from the scene.

[Karenina]

8. No one could have predicted...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4493298

[fishwax]

40. yep. surprise surprise

:eyes::puke:

[myrna minx]

9. Watch WDSU and you won't get that impression at all.

This is so awful. :-(

[expatriot]

12. This proves the original post's point. gap between CNN and WDSU is very

wide. I think the OP means national MSM, not local MSM.

[myrna minx]

23. Thanks.

:hug:

[Minstrel Boy]

19. Instead of mainstream I should have specified network/cable.

The local coverage I'm streaming is telling such a different story.

[myrna minx]

21. The local coverage is so devastating and the national media

seems to imply all the gulf coast needs is a wet/dry vac and a few paper towels. Oh, I am so horrified at what I'm seeing, but the folks at WDSU, to their credit, are staying so calm. Yes, I believe that there is quite a huge disconnect. :cry:

[LynzM]

26. I know

They're doing a phenomenal job with an awful task :( The main anchor is doing a good job of telling people what's going on and explaining to them why they need to not try to go back, etc. How awful for everyone down there :( :( :(

[expatriot]

10. Yes. Bush and MSM are guilty of not addressing this tragedy properly

and hence the nation (average citizens, local governments) is taking longer to "mobilize" than it should.

[intheflow]

11. Streets around the Superdome dry yesterday, flooded today.

DU is my sole media outlet, and through DU I'm also listening to/watching WDSU.

Martial law. More refugees seeking refuge. At least two levy breaks. Bodies floating through the streets of NO. This is going to get much worse before they can even start to look at clean-up.

[cbear70]

13. yes, very weird

I am watching WWLTV.com..or the weather channel. Can't stand watching the news on the msm because its false.

[dweller]

14. noon news (est) coming up

let's see what they say.

edit: both ABC and CBS local stations are covering with footage of destruction, mostly in Mobile. Some film of NO.
NBC yesterday had coverage, today Soaps.

strange thing tho, both stations showed the same footage, same scenes ... it was the same film.
showing the airport-no planes at all on runways. it's deserted.
says Canal street is not flooded
no mention of levee breaks

more: they keep returning to the story (after other local stuff) and now have mentioned (no film) the levee break
mentioning 80 deaths so far
showing flooding, damaged buildings
showed an oil rig washed up and pinned under a bridge (same rig pic'd on BBC newsite, they said it was in for repairs and washed into bridge)

dp

[brokensymmetry]

15. Perhaps there's a general disconnect.

How can someone who hasn't been through something like this even begin to comprehend it? I know I can't.

[Horse with no Name]

22. If you think of 911

and the thousands of people across the nation that travelled to be there to help and then this.
I don't think it's a general disconnect. If that were the case, then someone sitting in a corn field in Nebraska wouldn't have been able to comprehend 911.
I think it is the fault of the MSM. They report the talking points and don't venture beyond.
They are under control of Rove and Rove does not want the general population to know that there was a collossal governmental failure to protect the people in New Orleans or to dwell on the fact that there aren't enough guardsmen to adequately mobilize this effort.
How many headlines have you seen on MSM that say that there ARE enough guardsmen? They don't want the sheeple to know that this country is NOT protected.
Those folks in New Orleans and surrounding areas are on their own.
Make no mistake.

[I Have A Dream]

29. Thanks for the great summary of the situation, HwnN.

I wasn't really sure what the benefit was to the B* Administration by downplaying this. This makes it really clear.

[NYC]

30. New York is sending 300 Con Edison workers to New Orleans.

They are going to help get the electricity going again.

I am unable to stream "anything" on my computer. I suppose everything related to New Orleans is overloaded and slow. I got the Con Edison information from the radio.

Both radio and television (non-cable) make it sound as though the worst is over. I can't get current information. Around 5:30 a.m., Ch. 7 ABC indicated that the two block long levee breach was flooding Ward 4 only. I keep searching DU to see what is going on, but it is still difficult to find out what is going on in New Orleans.

[pop goes the weasel]

16. it seems like it to me

watched Nightline last night, and Ted Koppel kept trying to get guests to say that Katrina "wasn't that bad."

I think the problem is that the geniuses of television news saw that, immediately after Katrina passed through, that the damage right where they were wasn't as bad as meteorololgists had described. Never mind that the predictions had talked about the danger of the levees being breached, and thetalking heads had no idea at the time if that had happened. After all, if there is one thing MSM hates, it's to have to admit to having been wrong. So they keep banging the "not so bad" drum even as bodies float bad.

[intheflow]

28. To Koppel's credit,

he did start Nightline by saying something like, "The media tends to handle these kinds of situations in three phases: evacuation story; 'it's not as bad as we thought'; and finally, 'it's much worse than we imagined'. We seem to be transitioning from the second to the third phase."

I'll bet Nightline tells a much more realistic story tonight.

[DistressedAmerican]

18. The Lady On WDSU Just Said EXACTLY THE SAME THING

"Have they seen these pictures?"

[enough]

24. Just like state media for decades in the Soviet Union.

Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Nothing can be wrong here in the Homeland. We are taken care of. Nothing is wrong.

[Blue_Roses]

25. I'm so glad somebody is letting us know what is really going on

I have been flipping back and forth from channel to channel to see what is going on in NO. I haven't heard them speak of when the city started to flood from the levee breach. Did it start last night? When?

[NYC]

41. I can't find out what time the levee broke.

My best information:

The mayor announced the two block long breach around 2 a.m. Eastern time.

The levee broke during daylight hours, possibly in the morning. That means it was a long time before we heard about it. Someone on DU suggested that when the levee broke during daylight hours, it was a smaller breach.

That is all I can gather.

Television and radio give the impression that nothing is worsening. The Ch. 7 ABC televsion news at 5 a.m. said the levee breach was flooding the 4th Ward only.

[IMayBeWrongBut]

46. Here is a link to lake level data

http://140.90.121.76/cgi-bin/co-ops_qry_direct.cgi?stn=8762372+East+Bank+1%2C+Norco%2C+Bayou+LaBranche%2C+LA&dcp=1&ssid=B1+-+Backup+WL&pc=W1&datum=MLLW&unit=0&bdate=20050829&edate=20050829&date=3&shift=0&level=-1&form=0&host=&addr=151.196.32.240&data_type=pwl&format=View+Data

Don't know for sure but looks like the level started dropping at about 3pm or so...maybe the breach caused that drop.

[NYC]

47. Thank you.

It's so difficult to find out what's going on.

1:00 p.m. 1010 WINS radio: Water still rising on Canal St. Water gushing into the city. Live report.

[Jacobin]

31. Yes, yes and yes

They are too incompetent to even have a clue as to how to report any story other than wind blowing leaves around or missing blonde girls.

To report on this story would require a journalist with a brain, some basic willingness to understand and relate some basic engineering issues regarding the floods, to actually go out in the marshes in boats/aircraft to report and to do an in depth analysis on the magnitude of this thing.

We HAVE NO JOURNALISTS or news media left in this country. Hell, look at IraqNam for cryin' out loud. The reason we are even there is because we have no media....just a feel good propaganda machine

[crispini]

32. YES.

It's INSANE. What's wrong with the MSM? They seem to be completley blowing this off. I'm watching WDSU and I'm freaking out.

[seabeyond]

33. disconnect. perfect. was feeling myself

turn on news, work on fix it......listen to people there, save lives now, get out

certainly is. i turned off news, again.....

[Tin Man]

34. No fresh water, no sanitation, no power, no exit - potential Somalia

It amazes me how the MSM is unable to see beyond their silly "on locations" and see the impending humanitarian crisis. Fucking idiots...

[rman]

35. MSM being the political tools they are: this is political damage control

at the expense of human suffering.

As f'ing usual.

[Just Me]

36. I read there is a second breach!!! The situation seems to be,...

,...spiralling out of control. It's really quite frightening. If that levy breaks, NO will become a toxic dump that will take a very VERY long time to clean up. :cry:

[rman]

37. 2 breaches occured as the storm hit, several hours ago

About half NO is flooded, water is still rising.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

38. here....live stream WDSU

http://www.wdsu.com/video/4909353/detail.html

[Eloriel]

49. WHY can't I get that to work?

It gives me nothing and then won't let me choose either RealPlayer or MediaPlayer when I click "customize player." I can't get anything. Very frustrating.

Nevermind. I think Post #49 explains.

[bpilgrim]

39. LA Gov Kathleen Blanco "the devestation is greater than our WORST fears"

just heard on local tv affiliate WDSU :cry:

peace

[Beam Me Up]

42. Corporate owned media is an ENEMY of the people. This is not just a slogan

or empty rhetoric. They have no interest in reporting the truth unless it sells their sponsors products. And, as we all should be aware by now, the GOP and the government they now control IS one of their big sponsors.

[myrna minx]

44. WDSU stream is down.

[LibertyorDeath]

45. more social engineering from Network tv

From
http://www.wwltv.com/
Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area. The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.KATRINA BLOG: Click for the latest text updates on Katrina.

Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish under Martial Law. No one being allowed into New Orleans.

Levee breaches are causing rising water in New Orleans.

Sounds awful

Rec

[Eloriel]

48. Fox's Sheperd Smith just had a VERY good report

I've not been watching Fox, but having seen someone reference a report from him from New Orleans, I decided to try it. MUCH better coverage than either CNN or MSNBC, judging from that one report.

I found myself -- just for the moment, mind you -- cough, sputter -- grateful for Fox.

[faithnotgreed]

50. this has to keep kicked

very important and true points here

[raccoon]

51. kick nt