News Coverage focusing only on negative

[Scooby4]

I have been watching the coverage between CNN and MSNBC and they BOTH are disqusting me with their attitude! EACH time the interview a victim they are asking the STUPIDEST questions and bringing out the NEGATIVE in the situation. I'm tired of listening to all this "tell us how bad things are..." I'd rather hear " tell us how is your family and are you grateful to be alive?"
I got soo angry I had to stop watching the coverage for awhile. The reporter told this "heartbreaking tale" of how someone was rescued and was placed on a above ground overpass. Then the person had to WALK to the nearest shelter. Like it was some horrific torture that this person was "forced to walk" after surviving being on a roof for a day. The person was ALIVE and ABLE to walk!!! They didn't need federal or state assistance to do that!!! But the reporter was turning it out to be that the federal assistance or other help wasn't available to carry this person and it was a disgrace!
I've also noticed the reporters seem to concentrate on the "looting" in New Orleans. They rarely show the other areas that are cooperation and NOT turning into selfish criminals. I saw a report in Biloxi of people WAITING IN LINE at WALMART and NOT robbing it blind! How come one place that has NO buildings standing and hundreds dead/missing has NO widespread "looting" or lawlessness and the other area is infested/overwhelmed with crime?
I can't blame the "looting" on being "poor". The other effected areas aren't "wealthy" metropolitan areas either. I can't say the "looting" is for food and survival either. I just don't see that. There are too many relief shelters and donations coming into the area that stealing doesn't seem justifiable. If the shelter's were claiming shortage of supplies, then it could be understandable. The "looting" that is going on is just a show of how basic ignorance and animal instincts in humans can take over in stressful situations.
Thanks for reading. I just had to get this off my chest. I want to help these people but I am NOT going to do it by listening to what the media has been spreading. If I listened to the media, I wouldn't give a dime to the New Orlean's victim's due to their "greed". That isn't fair to any of the victim's in this situation!!!

[RICHARD]

Thanks for posting that...

That's exactly what I think.

[popcornbird]

I don't know...They might be alive, but they don't have food or water, and they are suffering, AND THE NATION NEEDS TO KNOW THAT!!! If they don't show us what's going on, how would we know enough to help these people? There are so many without food and water. So many. They may be alive now, but if they don't get help, how long will they be able to survive? They need help, badly. So many have already died. We can't talk when we're not in their situation. Personally? I know that if I were in that situation, I would hope the media would have the nation KNOW so that we could get some help. Those people need our help. They don't need to be left to die when so many throughout the nation have the means to help them. They don't need us to get angry. How could we get angry? They are in SUCH a grim situation. When WE have all of life's essentials, and that at this point in life, they don't and are suffering, we should feel ashamed of ourselves to get angry. We should be helping them the best we can, not getting angry. The media NEEDS to let us know what's going on. If they don't, how would we know? At least I feel that way. Those people need our help, and they need it now. We need to know what they're going through. Do you know how many dead bodies there are there? People dying of starvation, dehydration. Yes many are lucky to be alive, but how long will they be alive if they don't get the help they need?

[carole]

PCB I am in agreement with you on this one, regardless whether the media are doing an injustice by reporting this kind of stuff, we DO NEED to see it, even here in NZ it has touched my heart, and I feel for those poor people so much.

[RICHARD]

The other thing that bothers me are the leading questions that the reporters are asking the people about the government's involvement.


First of all,

EVERYONE wants less government, but when there is a disaster everyone sits back and waits for the government to step in.

The 72 million dollars to the Army Corps of Engineers would not have done one bit of good.

The time, dirt and dollars it would take to update the levee system in that area would have taken years to complete.

You do not know where a hurricane, tidal surge, tornando or ?
will strike until it actually hits. So even making the gulf states a disaster area TWO DAYS before the hurricane hits didn't make too much difference.

Local disaster agencies operate on totally different sets of rules-
IN cah lee fuh nee ah we have some flooding and earthquakes, we don't particularly have a hurricane or snow fall plan in out books.

The media is hyping this event in a real "shock news" way.

They really need the viewers.

[Lady's Human]

News coverage focusing on the negative? I'm shocked, nay amazed that this is happening. Why should something like this be given any different treatment than they do anything else?

The miracle in this is that there are as few people in Nawlins as there are. For a city of 500K to be evacuated as it was is amazing. The highest number I've heard for people who didn't make it out is 100K, which means 80% of the people in the city made it out.

The most disgusting part of the coverage I've seen is the opinion columns by certain people who shall remain nameless who have said that the fact that Katrina hit the city at all is the fault of the Republican Party, George W. Bush Himself, or various other versions of the same line. A Kuwait official was quoted as saying that the Hurricane was a warrior from Allah. Okay, Shiek, next time you're invaded and crying for help, go somewhere else.

To those who say the Government isn't doing enough, remember, the government is hamstrung by laws preventing the Federal Government from doing many things, which in normal times is great. Just remember that the laws you pass to keep the federal government out of your backyard may also prevent them from coming in to save your tail when the excrement hits the rotary oscillator. Saying it's anyone's FAULT is pointless. Let's get the mess cleaned up, and figure out how we can avoid the same mess the next time. All option should be on the table, up to and including completely moving New Orleans from where it is to a new site. Rebulding a city that's 7 feet below sea level every few years (remember, it floods fairly routinely) seems rather pointless.

[lizbud]

Originally posted by RICHARD
The media is hyping this event in a real "shock news" way.

They really need the viewers.

This tragedy IS shocking. In it's scope & magnitude.No hype
needed here. Just show the video man.

They should have made the news people carry in supplies, they
seem to be able to travel where no government aid has yet to
reach.

[Prairie Purrs]

Please don't look for any excuses for failing to give whatever you can to help out the victims of this catastrophe.

When they finally get around to counting the dead, there will be thousands. THOUSANDS. It's impossible to "hype" a disaster of this magnitude. If you want "happy talk," watch Entertainment Tonight.

And it's pretty heartless to talk about whether it's "pointless" to rebuild New Orleans while people are still dying there.

Give what you can. If you live anywhere near the affected areas, consider opening your home to a homeless family.

I've been crying my eyes out all week over this. I broke into sobs today over a story about seven siblings, ages four months to seven years, who were rescued from the top of an apartment building. No one knew what happened to their parents.

Their mother's name is Katrina.

[PJ's Mom]

I was watching CNN this afternoon and they were interviewing one of the refugees in Houston. He was talking about how grateful he was to be out of New Orleans and how he plans on going to live in SC with family as soon as he can get there. He's also volunteering at the Astrodome, helping with other survivors.

Not too negative, if you ask me.

[Scooby4]

I am NOT saying I am NOT concerned or wouldn't give cause of a few bad apples. What I am saying is that the news media has a way of reporting things and blowing them out of proportion. They are NOT reporting the "practical" side of the issues.
The "help" not getting to these people in a "tiimely fashion". Guess what? I live 10 hours away from New Orleans. If RIGHT after the storm passed over, It would have taken me atleast 20 hours to get there. How many people were stuck on their roofs for 20 hours by that point? How many could I have saved once I got there? I don't own a helicopter, an airplane, boat, or SUV. I am sure the first complaint would have been "Why weren't you here 20 hours ago?". The media would have gone "haywire" on that story and reported that it took 20 hours for a rescuer to "show up" and help the family of 5 off their roof! Is that fair or accurate?
The left-over "eye" of the storm passed 30 miles from my house. It was still clocking 80 MPH winds. I lost some trees and some lost power for almost 2 days. We were VERY lucky. It wasn't safe for me to walk outside for atleast 10 hours after the eye passed. Tree branches were still falling everywhere! The winds were still dangerous. I am sure it was too windy for helicopters to fly safely.
The reality of getting help and needing help are 2 different things. These people need help that is agreed. However, the logistics involved in getting that help and making sure it is the right kind of help takes time and effort. It doesn't just happen overnight. Emergency personnel have NEVER dealt with a catastrophe on this scale before. How are they supposed to know everything? Training and education NEVER prepares anyone for the real thing.
I think complaining and criticising the "help" issue is counter-productive at this point. What is the point and what is complaining about it going to help? I know if I was getting shot at or yelled at to "go faster" when trying to do the best to "help" someone, I would want to get mad and quit. The media needs to "be quiet" and allow the emergency people to do their jobs as efficiently as they can. You can't go any more "humanly" possible as the help is going right now. Yes, there will always be stories of strife and ruin. Those are just going to have to be "stories". What is important now is going beyond the stories and start providing what needs to be done. That is help from every citizen.

[lbaker]

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleard down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

They're tryin' to wash us away Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has
done
To this poor crackers land."

They're tryin' to wash us away Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away

rn

what is past is prologue

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Lady's Human

The most disgusting part of the coverage I've seen is the opinion columns by certain people who shall remain nameless who have said that the fact that Katrina hit the city at all is the fault of the Republican Party, George W. Bush Himself, or various other versions of the same line. A Kuwait official was quoted as saying that the Hurricane was a warrior from Allah. Okay, Shiek, next time you're invaded and crying for help, go somewhere else.

MY favorite was that the satelllite pictures took the form a fetus then hit the red states that voted for him...

Even I know the truth....

GWB caused the hurricane so the gas prices would go up and Ms Sheehan's bus trip to Wasrhington would be cancelled....

------------------------------------

Wait until the those 2 AHs - Sharpton and the REV Jesse Jackson show up to get some camera time...

Those MWs won't show up until after the all the danger is over and the people have been fed and taken care of....

Imagine them showing up and having someone ask them for a bottle of water or food.....

"I am only here for camera time....."


P.s.
I posted this in the Media Whores thread ...

It's too true not to post it again!
----------------------------------------

The Revs Al and Jesse should be showing up in a week or two in the deep South to tell the people that GOD will care for them, to blast the Government and pose for the cameras..


I guess the only time you get them to come around is after you have shot someone and get your arse kicked after a high speed police chase......

"We are here to ask the community for calm...."


LOLOLOLOLOLOL
-------------------------------------


And last but not least the media broke the story that two rescue teams one from the Los Angeles Fire Department and Riverside, CA Fire Dept were jacked while in the area.

They took money food and equipment from each team..

By now all these looters (the ones that were stealing nonessential crap) are running short on food and water....

The water in the area is ripe for dysentery, cholera and all kinds of nasty stuff.


I hope each of them has a nice scratch on their legs or feet and infection is setting in.


Gangrene,
It's not just a illness,
It's a punishment!

[jennifert9]

This whole situation is INSANE and out of control....I am beside myself with grief, sympathy, empathy, frustration and anger....!
There is NO reason any of this should be happening in the United States of America, none at all.
Perhaps we were not prepared for the extent of the devastation Katrina caused. That is so unfortunate and ridiculous of us as a nation. Since 9/11, we have been preparing for another terrorist attack and holding "drills" in every single town across America. Why in the world, did we not have a plan for a hurricane, a much more frequent occurrence? And why is the rest of the country going on like normal? WHY? It makes no sense to me....I heard on the news last night that GW Bush had approved 10.5 billion dollars in aid for the region and the House was going to approve it today. WHY THE WAIT? Get them out of their nice warm soft king-size mattresses with their central air and put them in their chauffeur driven Lexuses and Mercedes and let them approve it RIGHT NOW! There are people sleeping on boards floating in the flooding and huddling on their roofs starving and dehydrated at this very moment! YOU tell them they have to wait Mr. Bush. While they watch their parents and children die. GW "toured" the region today....ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Does anyone else realize the absurdity of this situation?? Why not declare a national emergencey and let the entire country go down there to help? WHY NOT? Every Christmas, 99% of businesses shut down to celebrate. Why is this not as important? Everything feels unreal to me. I went to the gas station today and yes I paid a fortune to fill up the tank in my car. But the irony is this...I HAVE a car!!! I have a home, a bed, electricity, plumbing....Who am I to bicker or complain? I love America. I am probably the most patriotic person you will ever meet in your lifetime. My family no longer celebrates my birthday. At my request, we celebrate 4th of July and I give presents to everyone on that day and throughout that week. This is breaking my heart. We are better than this. Richard, I disagree with your statement that everyone wants less government. Not I. I think the government of this country should be held responsible for EVERY SINGLE person that does not have a bed to sleep in. I know I am idealistic and radical. I know my ideas border on socialism or communism. I am a very kind, sensitive person and I do know my ideas may make no sense in practice, However, I still "feel" that way, regardless of what is practical or possible. My feelings often overrule my rational thoughts and though I may apologize for those feelings and have no argument in a debate, that is the way I FEEL.
I got out of bed this am while watching the Today show because the guilt of sitting on a mattress with my happy healthy dog next to me and a fridge full of food made me feel horrific. I am beside myself with frustration and guilt and empathy. At the gas station I went to today, I saw stack and stacks and stacks of bottled water for sale on the sidewalk. I feel like screaming..."Take this water to Louisiana and Mississippi!! Don't sell it! The rest of the country can drink tap water until this is over for God's sake!!!!!!!"
We ALL take it for granted that if something happens to us, SOMEONE will come save us....If we need an ambulance, we call one. If we need the police, we call them. And they come. If we need water, we go to the sink or fridge and get some. If we need lights, we flick a switch. These people are thinking "someone will come help us. This is America." And then days and days go by and noone shows up. Can you imagine the horror?
I know many of you will say I am a hypocrite. And, unfortunately, my heart agrees with you...I can barely justify anything I do these days. Collin and I are on a very tight budget as I have not started working. I have given any money we can spare to the Red Cross, the Humane Society and to a local church sending some people to the region. Our checking account is stripped bare for the next 2 weeks. I did it without Collin's knowledge and he is not happy with me right now. I spoke to him tonight about me going down there to help. He has agreed that since I feel so strongly and an unable to be happy until I DO something that he will support our family for another month if I can go. I am supposed to start a job on Tuesday. I intend to speak to them about this first thing when I walk in and see if they will agree to let me put off my start date. Like many people, we live paycheck to paycheck with very little spending money or luxuries (although at this point, everything feels like a luxury to me...) Me going down there would severely diminish our life and our plans but I can't justify to myself living like this while my fellow Americans are suffering....At the same time, who am I to take away from my own family like that? (We help support my parents and my sister's 4 children along with ourselves.) So yes, I may be a hypocrite...but aren't so many of us? Look at these celebrities..."yes, I feel horrible, let me sing so my public image remains intact but God forbid I actually GO there and help." I HIGHLY doubt those starving people will even recognize Demi Moore in a baseball cap and Red Cross vest and will be just thankful that they have a meal....
America is a Very Very Very rich country. We have thousands if not tens of thousands of millionaires here. DO SOMETHING!!! Buy 10,000 mobile homes and set up a refugee camp in the fields of Texas! But Pepsi's entire stock of Aquafina and send it all down there on trucks. The Walmart in my town has cases and cases of water on it's shelves. WHY? Are they NOT rich enough? SEND IT SOUTH. The rest of us could do with a little humbling once in a while and a bit of a reality check. Richard, being from the Northeast, I have never really had to deal with any major natural disasters. Which is one reason among many, that I love my hometown. I will never forget when we had a crippling snowstorm (and it takes ALOT to cripple Syracuse NY with snow as it often gets the most snowfall of anywhere else in the entire WORLD!) and people were stuck in their homes and freezing and hungry. Travel was impossible, supplies were running short and the stores that were open were gouging people with the prices. It was embarrassing and ridiculous. At the same time, I remember watching TV and wondering how the rest of the world was going on like nothing had happened...It's scary and demeaning and you feel unimportant...I do not want this to be like that....This country should just STOP, take a deep breath, and get down there!!!!!!!
OK, I'm sorry if I sound like I am yelling. I am just so frustrated. I know I have opened myself up to naysayers and people attacking me for my views and actions or lack of. I understand, say what you will. But please understand the depths of my feelings and my good honest decent heart....I mean no harm, only help and I am certainly in no position to throw stomes at others like me and I am not. I'm sure many of you feel the same way that I do. And those that don't, well please express you opinions...perhaps it will help me get through in my own head.....

I love you all. Stay safe.

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by jennifert9
These people are thinking "someone will come help us. This is America." And then days and days go by and noone shows up. Can you imagine the horror?
.

What is more horrible?

The horror is expecting someone to show up and no one does- or having that someone show up late?


A bigger tragedy is if we never show up....


--------


Let’s pretend.

Let’s get a truck driver.
Let’s get a train engineer and a pilot

Ask them how much food and water they can carry in their vehicles.

Let’s find a place they can pick it up.

Now let’s get them to drive where they need to go to deliver those emergency supplies.

As the truck driver approaches the site he is not guaranteed gas because there is no electricity to run a gas pump, and if he does find gas, the roads and freeways are down or blocked.


That’s OK!! The train can deliver stuff!

But there is no electricity to run the signals!!!

If the rails have been washed away you can’t make a detour!!!

That’s OK the plane can deliver food!!!

But there is no electricity to run the lights, radar or radios…

Let’s just parachute the stuff in….if it falls into the water or falls on a person….OOPS!


One airplane is gonna feed a one thousand people, a truck, 500 and a train????

That will do for one day….what happens tomorrow?

Blankets, medicine, beds, clothes….

How much food do you leave behind to get that stuff on board?


Tell a diabetic we didn’t have room for insulin.
Tell a mom who’s newborn can’t breastfeed but needs a special formula
We didn’t have room for that because of the insulin for the diabetic.
Forget them….
Let’s make room for a stretcher for the 12 year old kid with a fractured skull.
NO Let’s get the 89 year old woman some water and for get everyone else.


Let’s tell the other 15,000 people at the side of the plane, truck and train that we don’t have any more for them!!!

They will understand.


No, we aren’t fast enough.

But WE ARE ENOUGH…


You cannot let the people that have died so far be forgotten.
We will remember them and what happened the next time we get knocked down.

This is not a movie where Tom or Arnold or Indiana Jones leads the group in that saves the day.

It’s real life.

Don’t be so quick to toss a jab at the whole system. When we can decide who lives and who dies, in a situation like that, we will be gods.


Until then we just have to live and learn together.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

QUESTION: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE 4 SHIPS THAT WERE ON THE WAY THERE?
Did the ever get there? I've not heard a PEEP on any of the stations about them. Why can't some of the people be put on the ships and taken other places.

Know what else I think? Well, I'm going to share it anyway!
I think the government should take the military bases they are planning on closing and instead rig them up to hold disaster refugees. It would not cost that much to keep them up after they are fitted out. Surley not cost as much as the cost in lives as they scramble around trying to get their act together now.

Remember: the government itself says it's not a question of IF, but WHEN that we will have another terrorist attack too. The weather channel is saying there is a 43% chance of the US getting hit with another hurricane this season. I can see such shelters needed sometime in the future and having them already ready would sure help.

They also need to find an alternate method of communication. Maybe some type of battery powered equipment. How about police scanner type things or walkie talkies or something. It's something they really need because electricity will be the first thing to go in a disaster.