Irresponsible Journalism!!! -- People who stayed on Sanibel

[KBBOCA]

I am shocked by the following story.
Here's the lead paragraph:

"Barbara Johnson probably won't do it again, but she's glad she stayed behind Friday to ride out Hurricane Charley in this barrier island community. "It was quite a show," the retired librarian said when reached by The Associated Press. "I almost enjoyed it.""

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /408131091

From the Lakeland Ledger. I think folks should complain that this kind of story will just encourage others to ignore evacuation warnings in the future. Of course these idiots who stayed are "news" but the story is bad because there is no balance. No reports of people who were seriously injured or who died... nothing to really make people understand the gravity of the situation or the lives put at risk trying to rescue fools like this.

[GalvestonDuck]

Kinda like the first trauma alert I ever experienced when I worked in the ER:

"Ted Pressley probably won't do it again, but he's glad he stuck the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, playing Russian Roulette. "It was quite a trip," the University of Kentucky football player said when reached by The Lexington Herald-Leader. "I almost enjoyed it.""

Only problem -- Pressley didn't win, so he could never say that. Idiot blew his brains out, just for a thrill.

Newspapers wouldn't dare publish something like that -- had he lived. Why do it for people who ride out a hurricane?

[TerryAlly]

I am shocked by the following story...I think folks should complain that this kind of story will just encourage others to ignore evacuation warnings in the future. Of course these idiots who stayed are "news" but the story is bad because there is no balance....

Excellent story ... I enjoyed it.

Of course the paragraph, such as the one below are important in judging the story:

"I wouldn't recommend it," said Cheryl Anderson, 59, guest relations manager for a Sanibel resort. "As I was sitting in the bathtub I was asking, 'Why am I doing this?' "

[KBBOCA]

I should note a brief correction. It's an AP story, not written by Lakeland reporters. But so far, I haven't seen it showing up on Google for other papers... will be interested to see how many publish it. I hope only the Lakeland Ledger is irresponsible enough... and I hope they get a flood of angry letters.

[KBBOCA]

A Similar Story... this one from St. Pete. Note particularly the guy who stayed even though his daughter was scared. Great father...

Why give these folks such publicity. It will just encourage others?! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!

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http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/14/South ... oast.shtml

[wolffeeder]

I am shocked by the following story.
Here's the lead paragraph:

"Barbara Johnson probably won't do it again, but she's glad she stayed behind Friday to ride out Hurricane Charley in this barrier island community. "It was quite a show," the retired librarian said when reached by The Associated Press. "I almost enjoyed it.""

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /408131091

From the Lakeland Ledger. I think folks should complain that this kind of story will just encourage others to ignore evacuation warnings in the future. Of course these idiots who stayed are "news" but the story is bad because there is no balance. No reports of people who were seriously injured or who died... nothing to really make people understand the gravity of the situation or the lives put at risk trying to rescue fools like this.

People not wanting to evacuate, that's not shocking. It's pretty commonplace.

Especially if they have birds. I doubt I would abandon my birds if I had to make a choice. The dog yes, the birds no. Don't know exactly why she couldn't flee with the birds, but then i don't know the details of her life. Also not surprising if they are old and possibly stubborn.

I didn't see in the article anything at all about anyone risking their lives to rescue the lady, and I read it twice. I think that usually there is a very sensible policy that you don't get rescued during a hurricane, whether you were supposed to evacuate or not. So most likely no one risked their lives to rescue the poor fool as you call her.

Probably they didn't include any accounts of gruesome death as it would be kind of a buzz kill for an upbeat story. Those will probably be written up separately.

[KBBOCA]

wolf... I hear you about it not being shocking that people stayed. And I was speaking generally about lives at risk rescuing such folks.

But I still stand by my point about the story itself being irresponsible in how it's written. The headline especially alarmed me:

Charley "put on quite a show" for those who stayed.

That type of headline and article makes people think they missed out on some thrill by leaving, when by evacuating many saved their lives.

Of course it's a story, but somehow the reporting of the people who stayed behind needed to be balanced with a clear assessment of the true cost of such decisions.

[Aslkahuna]

Usually, when conditions become too dangerous for the Emergency Services personnel, they go into shelter and stay there until conditions improve enough to allow them to move out and begin assisting those who need help. But at the height of the storm one is on their own if they choose to stay.

Steve