Worst coverage I have ever seen

[oneness]

I sent an email to cnn- at 1:30 am telling them of the mayor interview- along wih link to interview. I guess somebody at cnn finally read it.

Excellent initiative there! Hopefully getting the real news story out can save more lives via generating a more rapid and largest possible scale response.

[oneness]

I'm watching WDSU live-cast of “The Jackson Channel” feed, and they’re still talking about NO area residents “going home” and to be patient as local authorities “make it safe to return” … in a day or two ...

They still haven't got a clue about what has happened and the implications of it.

They are even talking about it taking some days for the water to soak into the ground! They are actually saying there is “no major flooding” within the city! Those are the words they just used.

Can someone near there please call the station and fill them in a bit?

[wolfmmiii]

I sent an email to cnn- at 1:30 am telling them of the mayor interview- along wih link to interview. I guess somebody at cnn finally read it.

WOW

Is that the first time they heard the mayors speech? I think we're doing better here on the boards sharing information.

I saw the mayors speech like three hours ago on WWL TV.

I'm sure that isn't the first time they've heard about it.

[drezee]

The reporters are horrible journalists. They are walking around downtown New Orleans saying everything is fine. They could care less about poor people. The levees protecting the 9th ward and such are subpar to those holding downtown. They will continue to fail in the wake of Katrina. They are walking around talking about the tarp on the Superdome and bottles of Advil in the street... What about the people dieing on the EAST SIDE? They are acting like since they are poor, their live/story doesn't matter.

[stormie_skies]

The reporters are horrible journalists. They are walking around downtown New Orleans saying everything is fine. They could care less about poor people. The levees protecting the 9th ward and such are subpar to those holding downtown. They will continue to fail in the wake of Katrina. They are walking around talking about the tarp on the Superdome and bottles of Advil in the street... What about the people dieing on the EAST SIDE? They are acting like since they are poor, their live/story doesn't matter.

I have no idea what station you are watching - but I've been watching CNN & MSNBC most of the morning, and no one has said anything of the sort. In fact, I have seen almost non-stop coverage of East New Orleans over the last few hours on both stations.

A few things to keep in mind while criticizing the media coverage:

1. You can't broadcast live during a Catagory 4 hurricane. The equipment just won't work.

2. The journalists who are in the area were - with few, if any exceptions - in the area during the storm. Journalists are not superhuman, and I would imagine the stress of going through the storm took a toll on them, as it did on everyone...

3. Most of these journalists have been reporting for very long periods of time - all day and all night, with few if any breaks for sleep. I'm sure they are exhausted.

4. The damaged area is almost impossible to get through. Additional journalists are having a hard time reaching the damaged areas at all, and those who are already there cannot easily get around. Journalists don't have wings - if emergency personnel cannot reach an area, you can bet that the news media cannot reach it.

5. Emergency workers will not - cannot - take the time to show the media around. They have lives to save. In fact, I would bet that they have asked the media to keep its distance from some of the worst areas, because a bunch of people with cameras and microphones would only get in the way.

I understand the frustration with the fact that there is so much we do not know....but the media coverage I am seeing doesn't seem anything like what so many here are describing....and it seems like some people want the coverage to do things that are not logically possible...

[Persepone]

The news on this board is a lot better than the media! Until this morning there was no indication that anything at all flooded in New Orleans... perhaps the people here read NO (as in New Orleans) flooding to mean that there was not any flooding... That's all I can think of.

Still not able to get various streaming video to play on my computer so not seeing much of anything...

Pretty disgraceful in terms of coverage here in the Northeast on regular broadcast channels... And no, I do not have cable, thus do not have CNN, etc.

[cjrciadt]

Showing new aerio video on Fox News, the water does not end, when they say 80% underwater they mean it.

[BlowinNTheWind]

Coverage has been borderline criminal...the minute the hurricane went through yesterday ,the reporters and anchors in their rush to judgement said the storm was not that bad since the Quarter and The Superdome were still standing.They said this with no thought or idea about the rest of NO being flooded, much less what happened in Miss..never let the actual facts get in the way of them wanting to make an instant conclusion

[Frank2]

I think the media itself is trying to come to terms with the scope of this disaster, however, it did upset me that even before, during and after Katrina's first landfall here in South Florida, our local media seemed more concerned at times with the outcome of the MTV music awards on South Beach.

It also upset me that Nancy Grace of CNN Headline News decided to continue her ongoing coverage of the missing teenager in Aruba. Unfortunately, the outcome of that story is now very apparent, and they need to move on to what is currently happening.

Frank

[Persepone]

Yeah, we got the MTV garbage, the Aruba garbage, a whole bunch of stuff about how the gas prices will go up (Duh...) and our usual programming of soap operas, etc.

To the poster (sorry, I've lost track) who said that the reports are accurate--they are not up here, apparently. I'm still seeing streets with less water on them than we have here on Cape Cod today! (it's raining--hard--but nothing out of the ordinary) and picking up stuff off the street, etc. Our reporters were reporting until this morning that there was "no" (as in negative) flooding in New Orleans--perhaps they read the abbreviation for New Orleans as a negative... But there is no sense up here from watching broadcast news of the magnitude of the disaster or the continuing problems. The hurricane hit "yesterday" so the attitude seems to be that it is "over."

[wwicko]

The news is better here because no one here has worry about being sued by shareholders for not making profit the prime directive of your activities.

[cswitwer]

DO SOMETHING about it. Write CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc. Like I just did. Tell them you don't give a bloody damn about "insurance rates", "gas prices", or for god's sake "chicken farms" - that they need to be reporting on the REAL story - waters rising in NO, hundreds of missing, hundreds more trapped and in need of rescue, a huge U.S. city being rendered completely unlivable.

Write to them if you, like me, are sick of 'popcorn news'.

[ObsessedMiami]

worst I saw was yesterday on CNN, Soledad O'Brien kept repeating that N.O dodged a bullet and that she asked Ed Rappaport if the danger for flooding had passed.. this was at 11 am!!!! He kept saying that the levees could still get topped with a north wind and she kept insisting that "for the most part, the danger has passed, yes?"

Ed was just shaking his head.

[EverythingIsEverything]

Does CNN & MSNBC not know that Martial Law has been declared in N.O and citizens where told to get out. Fox got there info from a reporter on the scene who is trying to leave N.O now because the water is rising. what up with the other two stations

[cjrciadt]

Does CNN & MSNBC not know that Martial Law has been declared in N.O and citizens where told to get out. Fox got there info from a reporter on the scene who is trying to leave N.O now because the water is rising. what up with the other two stations

Showing tornado damage in GA all the cable networks right now.

[jpigott]

Does CNN & MSNBC not know that Martial Law has been declared in N.O and citizens where told to get out. Fox got there info from a reporter on the scene who is trying to leave N.O now because the water is rising. what up with the other two stations

the total evacuation of civilians from one of the US's largest metro/urban areas has just been ordered and martial law been declared and some of the 24 hour news services have yet to report this. this is journalism at its worst, i hope to God the reason why CNN/MSNBC have not reported this yet is they are figuring out damage control on there end given they reported NO "doged the bullet". This is historic and truly saddening news

[manapua]

Does CNN & MSNBC not know that Martial Law has been declared in N.O and citizens where told to get out. Fox got there info from a reporter on the scene who is trying to leave N.O now because the water is rising. what up with the other two stations

the total evacuation of civilians from one of the US's largest metro/urban areas has just been ordered and martial law been declared and some of the 24 hour news services have yet to report this. this is journalism at its worst, i hope to God the reason why CNN/MSNBC have not reported this yet is they are figuring out damage control on there end given they reported NO "doged the bullet". This is historic and truly saddening news

I was about to post the same thing. The vultures are busy trying to be the first to the punch with the death and destruction footage and are missing a significant story.

[cmdebbie]

I do not know what broadcasts you all are watching, but obviously not the same ones that I am. I have been switching between FOX, CNN, MSNBC, and TWC...with the exception of TWC, I do believe that they are all doing a wonderful job given the circumstances. I do tend to like FOX the best!!!

The reporters that were reporting about the Superdome and Bourbon Street were doing so because that is all they could see, hear and/or get to. Emergency Personnel are having a hard time getting to areas and therefore it will be a while before the media can get there as well.

I also believe that during this national crisis, there are alot more productive things to be doing with our time than complaining about the media. For instance, calling the Red Cross or Salvation Army and seeing what we can do to help, PRAYING for all of those affected, cleaning out our closets so that we can donate clothing, etc. to those that lost everything, etc.

Well, just my 2 cents, now off to clean out my closets....................

[cswitwer]

I will bloody well complain about the media when it is the only place I can get information on what has happened in the area where TWO OF MY FRIENDS ARE MISSING.