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thedrifter
10-01-05, 08:37 AM
Media double standards
September 30th, 2005

For most of September, Americans were bombarded almost 24 hours a day with declarations by media representatives and Democratic leaders about the incompetence of President Bush.

During this time, we watched our president and members of his administration, such as Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff and former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, be humiliated by debasing and incendiary questions from reporters. Concurrently, we saw high-ranking Democrats such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) state that our president was oblivious and dangerous.

We heard that it was all the Bush administration’s fault that so many people were helplessly trapped at the Superdome and the Convention Center. We heard of rapes, murders, and beatings at these locations. We heard of abysmal and almost unthinkable conditions all around New Orleans, that it was going to take months to drain the city, and that this, too, was the fault of the Bush administration.

Yet, when the water and smoke cleared at least a month ahead of schedule, a distinctly different picture emerged. We found that the projected casualties caused by this disaster were exaggerated by at least tenfold. So were the acts of violence at the Superdome and Convention Center.

At the heart of these exaggerations was the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin.

But, he is still treated with great respect by the American media.

We have learned in the past few weeks that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco: has behaved like a deer caught in the headlights since the hours before Katrina made landfall; blocked requests by the Bush administration to allow FEMA and non-Louisiana National Guard representatives to enter New Orleans sooner, and; is likely one of the most hapless and incompetent figures involved in this whole tragedy.

Yet, the media (and Senate, perhaps taking its cues from the media) still treat her with kid gloves.

Recently, it has come to light that not only did upwards of one-third of the New Orleans police department leave their posts after Katrina hit, but also that some of them have been implicated in participating in looting during the crisis. It appears that both of these realizations led to this week’s resignation of New Orleans Police superintendent, Eddie Compass.

And, we have learned that for many decades, funds that were allocated by the federal government for hurricane and storm damage control throughout New Orleans and Louisiana were redirected by local politicians to their own pet projects.

With all this evidence mounting about an almost unbelievably incompetent local and state government, where is the media outrage concerning the behavior and performance of these New Orleans and Louisiana officials?

After all, this is their city and their state.

Shouldn’t these folks be held to at least the same standard as FEMA representatives flying into New Orleans from across the country, or non-Louisiana National Guard members? Why aren’t we seeing the same grilling of Nagin, Blanco, and what is left of the New Orleans police department as Bush administration officials were put through when they were in the firing line?

Maybe most important, are these really the kind of people that we taxpayers should be forking over $250 billion to?

With that as a pretext, below is a video link of CNN’s Kyra Phillips interviewing New Orleans police Capt. Marlon Defillo about the recent police officer looting allegations in his city, as well as other problems within the department.

While you’re watching, pay particular attention to how pleasant and respectful Phillips is to her guest as she questions him about the sub-standard performance of his officers. See how quickly she understands the tough conditions that these men and women must have been up against as she sympathizes with and rationalizes their behavior.

Now, close your eyes, and imagine that this is Chertoff or Brown being questioned. How different would Phillips’s countenance, comportment, and attitude be?

Try to envision these folks that had gone AWOL or looted the city were FEMA agents or National Guard members. How much differently would this interview have gone had that been the case, and how understanding, respectful, and sympathetic would Phillips have behaved towards their superiors?

Noel Sheppard is an economist, business owner, and contributing writer for the Free Market Project. He is also contributing editor for the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters.org. Noel welcomes your feedback at slep@danvillebc.com.

Ellie

Ed Palmer
10-01-05, 09:05 AM
Originally posted by thedrifter
Media double standards
September 30th, 2005


Recently, it has come to light that not only did upwards of one-third of the New Orleans police department leave their posts after Katrina hit, but also that some of them have been implicated in participating in looting during the crisis. It appears that both of these realizations led to this week’s resignation of New Orleans Police superintendent, Eddie Compass.




There weren't no looters in Nola...just undocumented consumers initiating indefinite deferred payment plans

Joseph P Carey
10-01-05, 11:11 AM
Jeeeez! Does the author mean to say that some of the media reporters may act differently to local Democrats than they do to the National Republicans? Say it ain't so...!

Incidentally, no one has explained how a 300-foot section of canal wall, that was worked on in the last six months with our US Government Dollars, had just fallen apart! I have an answer that will not be popular with the media! It is Louisiana Politics as usual under the Huey Long School of Government Kickbacks to Friends, Family, and Political Donors. Let us see if this door ever opens!

Kaziganthi
10-01-05, 04:20 PM
lol, I wasn't stealing I was just borrowing it indefinitely with no intentions of returning it!

Bill Thompson
10-01-05, 04:52 PM
This is just like the 60's and 70's. The media is out for what they want the Nation to hear and not necessarly what is the truth. They seem to think that all Americans are beneath them and should be lead by the hand and fed only what the media wants them to hear. Sorry about spouting off but I can't stand the media with their biased reporting.

Nagalfar
10-01-05, 05:01 PM
I will second that Bill... your not spouting off... your telling it like it is.



Semper Fi.. Welcome aboard, nice having another new face..

geeze
10-01-05, 05:43 PM
one of the reasons I will not watch national news and will read a newspaper with a huge grain of salt.

If anyone else reported rumors or false allegations, like the media does, and reported it as fact, there would be hell to pay!! But for the media, it seems to be ok and everyone overlooks it.

MillRatUSMC
10-01-05, 06:06 PM
<p></b>Even this report is biased, and its only one man's opinion, no better than other man's view or opinion.
Its all depends on your point of view of how you see events.
Are we become a nation of sheep?
That the media and reports like this form our opinions?
We're subject to the media, to report events.
Lately those reports have not met the standards of good journalism, because they failed on reporting the truth of a given event.
Now we view all the media as been all the same, and we paint them with with the same paint brush.
I bet if I google for an opposing view to this report, I'll get some in the hundreds if not more.
I'll file this and I'll read some more, and after doing that, the "truth" will lay someplace between all those views.
With that said, I'll now close my mouth and I won't type a thing more on this subject.</b></p>

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

Joseph P Carey
10-01-05, 09:00 PM
It is nothing new, gentlemen! The media has been doing this sort of reporting for a long time now, just how exactly do you think we ended up in the Spanish American War? The Hearst News Media orchestrated a great deal of our involvement in Cuba for its own self-interest, and that was the selling of newspapers.

The truth is that the Spanish never sunk the USS Maine! The evidence found under where the USS Maine sank points toward a boiler failure, just the way the Spanish Harbor Pilot describes what happened to the Maine.

So, the next time you watch any news show, and you do not feel that the real story is being told, "Remember the Maine (1898)!"