Brian Williams, I bow in your general direction

[SeattleGirl]

I just watched The Daily Show, and I have to say, I was so very impressed by Brian Williams. One of the things he was saying was what I have heard Anderson Cooper and a couple of other reporters say: you don't want to leave, because you have such a bond there now. I think this unspeakable disaster, for all of it's obscenity, may have brought us a much welcomed gift: the return of a real media.

[Dr Fate]

1. I hope that now they have had a taste of what real reporting feels like...

...they will all keep on doing it.

[texpatriot2004]

2. Here Here. I agree with some foreign paper that said Katrina

saved the US Press. Thank God. They have their spine back. :applause:

:woohoo:

[ClayZ]

18. Finally!

:kick:

[defiant1]

31. And we can only hope....

that this time they keep it.

[Nothing Without Hope]

45. Here's the article, from the BBC. It's a good one and for all our sakes

let's hope the spine transplant is major and permanent. Otherwise we are well on the way to a dictatorship.



BBC News article blames Bush Admin, wonders if US media is growing a spine

This article lays out the reasons why the US media is "timid" and "self-censoring" as well as tightly connected with the Administration through their corporate bosses. But the author believes that the examples of hitherto rare truth-telling by some TV news reporters during the days of murderous delays and negligence by the federal government may signal an important shift. He pointed out the obvious lies or "breathtaking ignorance" of the federal authorities, "and you did not need a degree in journalism to know it either." He was clearly impressed at Geraldo's tears, and overall has judged that the "masterfully aggressive spin-surgeons of the Bush administration" are not going to be able to get away with it this time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4214516.stm


Caption: Thousands were forced to wait days for food and shelter

Viewpoint: Has Katrina saved US media?

By Matt Wells, BBC News, Los Angeles
Last Updated: Monday, 5 September 2005, 16:48 GMT 17:48 UK

As President Bush scurries back to the Gulf Coast, it is clear that this is the greatest challenge to politics-as-usual in America since the fall of Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

(snip)

As the heads of the Homeland Security department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appeared for network interviews, their defensive remarks about where aid was arriving to, and when, were exposed immediately as either downright lies or breath-taking ignorance.

(snip)

When the back-slapping president told the FEMA boss on Friday morning that he was doing "a heck of a job" and spent most of his first live news conference in the stricken area praising all the politicians and chiefs who had failed so clearly, it beggared belief.

(snip)

Blaming the state and city officials, as the president is already trying to do over Katrina, will not wash.

(snip)

[Mabus]

3. I was also interested in some of his remarks

like when he said he had been at the Super Dome since the beginning and that DHS was in charge. I thought DHS/FEMA didn't act because 1) they weren't aware that people were there and 2) they didn't get the call from anyone.

[roguevalley]

14. It was probably local fema folks, etc.

[i miss america]

22. FEMA had no clue folks were at a second location...the Convention Center.

That's my understanding -- hope this helps to clarify.

[Helga Scow Stern]

4. Recommended! Yes, I was thinking the same thing.

What was that comment he made about the value he placed on his daughter's life? How it was no more valuable than the lives of any of the people in New Orleans.

He also was rather miffed at having had a gun pointed at him a couple of times.

[SeattleGirl]

7. The remark about his daughter was very good

and very well received by the audience, as was his remark about what if this had happened in other places. He was definitely on it.

[Coexist]

30. one thing that bothered me was that Jon seemed in a hurry to change the

subject and go to commercial. I wish he had taken a second to pound that point home instead. Oh, well - I still love Jon.

[CatWoman]

40. he show has to be paid for, doesn't it?

I don't think he has control over the commercial breaks.

[Proud_Lefty]

48. Part of that comment bothered me

At first, when he said that these children were the counterparts of his own daughter, I thought that was awesome, but something that continually bothers me is that Americans seem to finally be outraged because this is happening to Americans in America. I've cried everyday for the people in the gulf, but I also cried everyday following our invasion into Iraq, feeling the exact deep pain and sorrow for the Iraqi people Bush's war is killing as our own. I admit it's great to see more people, especially the media, wake up, but I wish we would have as much compassion for all the people in the world.

[Canuckistanian]

26. "we were obviously reporters, we weren't with Al-Qaeda..."

The audience broke into applause at that.

He also described NO as having "the highest concentration of automatic weapons anywhere in the world".

[Helga Scow Stern]

He also recounted how Brown learned that they could air evac

people out of the Superdome from him on his show last Wednesday or Thursday, and noted that "Ted Koppel got ahold of that information and had at him like a pinata on his show."

[fooj]

8. That was classic.

Peace.

[incapsulated]

5. We can only hope, but..

I'm not going crazy with praise. They are simply doing the job they should have been doing all along. It's sad that we are so grateful for such a basic thing: doing your job as a journalist, questioning authority, refusing to be a mouthpiece for the government.

Our standards have gotten so low, that those who simply meet them are treated as heros.

Why did it have to come to such extremes, to need to be among such death and suffering and injustice, to simply remember that you are supposed to be a journalist and perform a service for the public, not the powerful?

*sigh*

[SeattleGirl]

9. Don't get me wrong

I'm not deifying him or anything. And I absolutely agree that they ARE doing what they should have been for so long. "Bow in your general direction" is a phrase my friends and family and I use sometimes. But I did want to acknowledge what he said, because essentially the media IS waking up and they are giving the finger to the * administration, which, since most of them work for corporate media, is at this time a daring thing. It is my hope that it becomes common place again!

:hi:

[incapsulated]

10. It's important that a bigwig

Like Williams sets the tone. It's one thing for Anderson Cooper to start speaking truth to power, but when someone like Williams starts, it will give others courage to follow.

[SeattleGirl]

12. Agreed!

I know that Koppel went after "Brownie" the other night.

[krkaufman]

17. Yep; wholly agree. Said basically the same thing in my post below, at...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4706966&mesg_id=4707038

[burythehatchet]

21. indeed n/t

[fooj]

6. Those perilously close to losing their humanity...

seem to have found it, once again, in this tragedy.

Peace.

[Fridays Child]

11. I wish I weren't so cynical but...

I keep thinking that this is just an exceptional opportunity for them to exhibit their humanity. They almost preen, in the process. But, when this is all over, they will still regurgitate Bushco propaganda, without hesitation.

[spooky3]

23. I agree with you. I hope we are wrong.

[krkaufman]

13. Jon Stewart dropped the ball -- in my opinion.

Brian Williams' heartfelt stories aside, Jon Stewart should have taken the opportunity to discuss w/ Williams -- a major network anchor -- not just what Williams is seeing in the wake of Katrina, but Williams' perspective on the change in reporting post-Katrina.

Journalists should exist to get to the truth in any matter, and to discern fact from conjecture, mediating and evaluating political discourse. They've fallen far short in recent years.

The NOLA disaster has tricked journalists into performing their traditional role because the sight and stench of the Superdome, the Convention Center and dead bodies all-around was too much to ignore. The facts and truth were shockingly -- and sensorally -- evident.

The Big Question is... How will the media fare when the truth and facts aren't so easily discernable, again? Is it too much to hope that they'll have been reawakened to good journalistic practices by Katrina? Or will apathy, shallowness and newsroom economics induce them back into their previous passivity?

[Pacifist Patriot]

27. He hinted at it, but I too would have liked to have seen something

more overt.

[Rhiannon12866]

15. I heard him, too, and he was just excellent.

Jon Stewart held his feet to the fire, but he didn't really need to. He has been there and is reporting the truth. I've always written him off as a Freeper apologist, like Russert and Cafferty. But it seems as if the sheer horror of this story is bringing out the honest journalistic impulses from the most unlikely sources. I salute him, too.:patriot:

[samsingh]

49. williams was a freeper apologist

i remember his words after 911, something to the effect:

"All questions of his legitimacy are pushed aside, as President Bush has shown he can handle this crisit. This very popular President..." .

[Rhiannon12866]

51. That's what I said. I've even heard that he's a ditto head.

But he was sure critical of the so-called hurricane relief efforts and, specifically, the clueless Michael Brown, who, apparently, learned that people were hold up in the NOLA Convention Center, from NBC News, live and on the air...:grr:

[samsingh]

52. i hope he doesn't revert to his former idiot, kiss up self.

he was a real bush apologist.

[Rhiannon12866]

54. He's always been good on "The Daily Show," and is one of their regulars,

Will show up when somebody cancels at the last minute. This may be a good influence on him. And there was no denying his anger over the handling of the hurricane relief in NOLA. The man has lived through it, stuck in the Superdome with the others, so saw what happened, first hand, and told Mike Brown, on-air, about the folks in need of rescue in the Convention Center, so there's no going back for him on this...:shrug:

[poverlay]

16. How could this happen? All of us American citizens, who've been

raised with the deep, promised and well paid comfort of: "If something hellish happens to us or our home 'they' will come help us in spectacular fashion", just got beaten with the fact that we're utterly and truly bereft. Oh I knew it before, it just hurts to see the evidence of all our greatest fears realized...

Brian Williams just brought my heart into my throat with terrible understanding.

[SeattleGirl]

19. I think that often in the past, "they" HAVE helped us

But this administration, well, they are all cut from the same cloth: THEY. DO. NOT. CARE. Why? I firmly believe it is more than just "we have ours, screw you", but rather, it is that they are INCAPABLE of caring. And that is the saddest thing of all.

[Berry Cool]

20. But SOME of the media were NEVER asleep.

*cough* *cough* Olbermann *cough* *cough*...

[lostnfound]

24. Yes, I happened to read something in his blog the other day

reporting from Katrina and thought, OMG, this is a corporate media reporter actually giving a very thoughtful and honest description of what he's seeing.

I think many or most of them may try, but are cushioned so deeply in a certain elite (or semi-elite) niche that they can't see the forest for the trees. In his writing he seemed to have really broken free of some blinders. And his comments on TDS confirmed for me that he is worth adding to the short list of TV worth watching. Anderson Cooper has also had a something of an epiphany.

Thank you Brian! As REM sings in that too-pop song, "Stand in the place where you are now".

Thank you Anderson!

Don't go back to the darkness and lethargy, keep looking for the light. your finest hours, the fulfillment of your 'original selves'

[Iris]

25. I'm secretly hoping Geraldo will jump the Fox ship.

I mean, wouldn't that be some reflection on FOX? If GERALDO left them?

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. I think that was without a doubt the best episode they have ever

aired. The opening segment with Samantha Bee was nothing short of brilliant. I was touched by Brian Williams' comments. For the first time I began to wonder about the books that will be written about this.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[northzax]

36. but of course

Every city should have a mandatory evacuation plan that gets everyone out of the city within 12 hours, when the airports, commercial bus services and rail services are down.

but, of course, the real fault of the local officials is being democrats.

[Pacifist Patriot]

47. Oh rats. I rated a freeper response and didn't get to see it in time.

[deadparrot]

29. You could hear the emotion in his voice.

The whole experience weighed heavy on him, I think.

Hopefully Maher was right; maybe Katrina *did* get our media back. Though I suppose we'll have to wait for the next non-Kartina related scandal to come out (shouldn't be too long).

[lpbk2713]

32. " .... you don't want to leave."

CAUTION: Telling the truth can become addictive.


:eyes:

[lateo]

33. Is there video for this yet? nt

[kentuck]

35. You will rue the day...

He works for one of the largest defense contractors. They have the contracts to set up the power grids in Iraq. His boss is a right-winger to the core. If you think he will go against his boss, when all the cards are on the table, I think you may be naive.

[wryter2000]

37. Lord, I hope he's right

Last night John Roberts (CBS) was reporting on bogus loans after 9/11 to companies in places in the South West. I thought, "why didn't you say something in 2001?" But then, I figured I was lucky hearing it at all.

I wonder if they've finally realized that being "patriotic" and not questioning the govmint got a lot of people killed in horrific ways.

[question everything]

38. Yes, was very impressed

I admit, I usually do not watch NBC news, but I admired his quiet dignity, and his decision not to come out and express his opinion, saying that they are supposed to just report the news, but it was clear where he stood.

Interesting, also, his report that law enforcement agents now are preventing them from actually reporting.

[progressivebydesign]

39. He was really great on TDS. This has changed him... I'm sure.

I wonder if we're seeing journalist guilt right now? I hope they are asking themselves if their complacency over the past 4 years has contributed to this tragedy in some way? Maybe the lack of asking questions all this time, the parties, the penthouses, the perks, is starting to seem so wrong. Finally.

[glitch]

41. If they ask themselves that, and answer honestly, they will be devastated.

But if they then face that devastation and atone they will be human again.

[dooner]

42. Faux News this morning had an "expert" talking about reporters

who have shown possibly "too much" emotion while covering the story.
The "expert" explained that it is only natural that somebody in the middle of the disaster would be under incredible stress and we should not judge their reactions. They specifically mentioned Joe Scarborough and Soledad OBrien.

The whole thing was very condescending, and the message was that these reporters were acting nutty, but it was understandable under the circumstances.

[smartvoter]

44. Oh, yeah. Fox reporters are "nutty" all the time for Bush and against

Dems. So when reporters were outraged at the Federal response, they were "nutty."

That group at Fox never ceases to amaze me.

[samsingh]

50. how about the other tendency for much of the media

to become corporate and republican whores in kissing up to the admin and hiding truth from the public. that would also be an interesting and relevant conversation.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

43. I'm very impressed with Brian Williams. I was thinking he'd

be a complete apologist for the Bushies when he replaced Brokaw, but it does not seem to be the case. Good on him.

[zbdent]

46. I was wondering when someone would point out that some of the

people who "decided not to leave" were the ones who were Republicans who wanted to protect their possessions and their homes - you know, with guns, and not black . . .

[A Brand New World]

53. I think that the media who were on the ground in the devastated

areas, particularly NO, have been personally affected and hopefully permanently changed by things and events that they have seen. Maybe not so much those that stayed in the studios.