The media needs to look at itself too

[Downdraft]

When do these 'above the fray" reporters become human beings and pitch in? General Honore made a good point today and these so called reporters of the news should stop and think about it. How many victims got picked up from new helicopters? How many bottles of water got tossed to people dying of thirst? I saw a few say the hell with it and pitch in but others stood by and watched. I seriously wonder how some of these people sleep at night. Please someone tell me the 22 hours a day they weren't on the air was spent helping their fellow Americans and not added to their agony. Regretfully I think I already know the answer.

[Terry]

I've said this before and I'll repeat it here --- I truly believe that the Media saved countless lives by just being there reporting. There is no way "we" would have garnered the attention of the feds and locals and volunteers and world to put all of the efforts and funding into this crisis without the Media.

Some of them are jerks; many are not. Some of them were actually helping/saving people first hand.

[soonertwister]

One of those who was actually hands-on about assisting the people of NOLA was Geraldo Rivera, who has been absolutely gutted around here for sensationalism and presumed self-promotion. I've never been a fan of his, but I believe that sincerity outs itself in spite of veneer, and Geraldo has a strong good streak in him that even nasty-natured people cannot cut out.

While he's endlessly aggravating to me, at times I'm reminded that there is an essential goodness to the man that should not be ignored.

[Praxus]

Without the media reporting and spreading awareness of the horrific situation and the weak response, I'm sure a lot more people would have ended up dead.

[wx247]

I've said this before and I'll repeat it here --- I truly believe that the Media saved countless lives by just being there reporting. There is no way "we" would have garnered the attention of the feds and locals and volunteers and world to put all of the efforts and funding into this crisis without the Media.

Some of them are jerks; many are not. Some of them were actually helping/saving people first hand.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[karenfromheaven]

I saw one NBC report where the correspondent observed a city employee driving his boss down a flooded street to check on the boss's house. The driver picked up the NBC team to ride along. As they went farther down the street, the driver was passing right by people calling for help from shoulder-high water and in boats. The NBC guy badgered and pleaded with the driver to stop and help, which he finally did. They hauled back as many people as the could back to dry land, including a woman in a wheelchair. Kudos to that NBC guy!

[Downdraft]

Do people seriously think in America without the media showing this even more people would have died? Interesting.

[Windy]

Do people seriously think in America without the media showing this even more people would have died? Interesting.

Well... yes. That's how bureaucracy works. If ineptitude remains secret, it tends to fester. When it's exposed and the voters become enraged, it tends to get fixed. There is a reason we have transparency of government built right into our Constitution. Politicians -- local, state, and federal -- can be selfish sometimes and the needs of the people can be lost. But they tend to re-focus on serving the people when they realize that it also serves their selfish needs -- i.e., sooner or later the voters will turn off musical chairs tune, and nobody wants to be the guy left standing.

[JQ Public]

Do people seriously think in America without the media showing this even more people would have died? Interesting.

Yes. Americans like all people will not believe it unless they see it. And some still won't believe it when its staring them in the face so any publicity helps.

[MysticOne]

Do people seriously think in America without the media showing this even more people would have died? Interesting.

I for one do not believe the media can be credited for saving lives.

[Terry]

MysticOne

I for one do not believe the media can be credited for saving lives.

You are kidding, right?

The communications in the affected areas were like Nil. The federal gov't would have been much slower to respond without the Media attention and subsequent publilc outcry. Emergency personnel often found people when the Media pointed them out. And some Media personnel actually assisted in rescues and/'or in delivering water, etc. to stranded people or taking them out of NO.

[MBismyPlayground]

Do people seriously think in America without the media showing this even more people would have died? Interesting.

How can anyone even think that they didn't help?????
Even with the media exposure, do you have any idea of how many people in the US are still unaware of this disaster??????Or are just now finding out?

Thru the media, there has been an out pouring of aid from other countries.Would this have happened without the media?? A picture says it all. Without a picture, there are just words. And there are sometimes no words to describe!

I can give you one big for instance:
The interview with Mr Brown the head of FEMA. Reporter asking about the convention center and him replying that he was unaware.......But now he is. Caught right on tape in front of our eyes! He had no choice but to do something!
How long would it have taken for FEMA or another agency to address this issue without media intervention???? How many more people would have continued to suffer or die just at the convention center??
Thru the media, American people, as well as people in other countries were able to voice their outrage and disapproval of how this disaster was being handled.
Another example here......We get no media info from Cuba. When a hurricane hits there, we do not see pictures, or few of them. We are only given info from their government, that has been sensored by them.
Does any of us get really upset about this????? Heck, most of us don't know about it. We may have a few slight indications that things are bad, but...........because of the LACK of media.
Granted, there are reporters that grandstand. There are some we dislike and some we love. There are some that from what we see, do nothing, watch things happen and don't lift a finger. But we have seen some great reporting, given wonderful information that has kept us all informed. Plus thru the media, look how many people have volunteered, donated, and have become part of this America, even world wide effort to help!!! Another media outlet is the internet........the WORLD WIDE WEB......And I think this has been a great aid to all people......Look how much info we were able to pass on to those who needed it?????Even you.

[oneness]

Without the media reporting and spreading awareness of the horrific situation and the weak response, I'm sure a lot more people would have ended up dead.

Well, I could find a dozen threads from this forum dated last Tuesday that said that most of the National US media had the story and the facts completely wrong, and had drastically underestimated the scale of the disaster, and that they were giving the US population a highly distorted and inaccurate picture of what was occurring and that many people could die because of their gross and obvious failure. For the first two days the media was playing catch-up just as much as the politicians were, and it wasn't until Wednesday that their reports slowly began to reflect the basic facts of the situation. They then of course began to scream at the politicians to hide and distract from their own terrific failures.

The only people who actually got it right from the beginning were the respective Mayors and local civil authorities, but the media were not too interested, ... until these started screaming about the stupid irrelevant idiocy being reported in the national media.

Always amazed how quickly people forget the timeline and facts.