I was just reading the news, and happened to reflect on the liberties taken when certain journalists report the news. I immediately began to think back a couple of years, to my deployment into the Hurricane Katrina disaster area.
During my deployment, I didn't see any of the violence or mayhem that was being reported on the news. Most of the people were thankful for our assistance, many even cooked us dinner with whatever meager supplies survived the damage. That damage was restricted to within a mile of the coast, and a 5 mile drive to the north got you completely away from the disaster area. Sure, this wasn't New Orleans, but the damage in the Gulfport area was actually worse.
Of course, the reporters had a little to do with that. When we were there, a group of reporters were busy talking on camera about how it was four days since the storm, and no one had seen any assistance from the gubmint yet. They were breathlessly explaining how the people were starving, with no help on the horizon, all the while blaming the President, FEMA, and anyone else they could think of.
We were standing less than 300 feet away, giving out food, water, diapers, and vaccinations against diphtheria and tetanus. What was funny was that they had to shoot it twice, because one of the people that we had just given food to walked behind the on camera reporter with a sandwich in one hand, and a coke in the other.
I know how truthful the journalism is in this country, and that is why I am not a consumer of what passes for news nowadays.
Things I learned from the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina:
ReplyDelete1. When you're hungry and dehydrated, steal a plasma TV.
2. Calm white rescuers are not desirable interview subjects.
3. Sean Penn saved countless lives.
4. The only ambulances providing care were those heroic crews from Acadian Ambulance.
Yeah, I don't trust the media much either. For Katrina coverage, you could accurately replace "journalist" with "disaster tourist."
That goes double for some of those supposed EMS policy movers and shakers like Paul Pepe and his ilk.