New Orleans Chaos and the Media

I'm now in the position of working at home and am able to keep the TV on while working. 95% of what was on the news channels was, of course, the aftermath of the disaster in the Gulf States.

It's disturbing how three different media outlets can look at completely different aspects of the same story and insinuate or otherwise draw conclusions on the goods (few) and bads of the situation. As I switched through CNN. MSNBC, and FNC, I drew conclusions on the slants. Please comment:

FNC: Good coverage; pushed the people side. Shepard Smith actually broadcast from I-10 with a dead body behind him (!). Showed rescue efforts and reported on chaos in the Superdome and elsewhere. Had an interview with Franklin Graham that was worthless, but also had some good interviews, such as with Michael Baden, world-famous forenics expert, who explained the health hazards. Downside was constant referral to the affected folks as "refugees", which was clearly an irritant.

MSNBC: Exceptional coverage. Was the only news organization AFAIK that had the guts to put cameras into the NO Convention Centre, which is collapsing into absolute chaos. Unfortunately, noone there put a lid on the comment shows. On his show, Keith Olbermann went out of his way to say that the affected were primarily black and poor and then had Al Sharpton on who ranted that the government wasn't helping because of the socioeconomic status of the victims. Extremely poor taste.

CNN: OK coverage, but like MSNBC, kept playing the race card. To be honest, I didn't watch as much as it as the other two.

So there you have it.