Media involvement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
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Media involvement
Several reporters for various news agencies located groups of stranded victims, and reported their location via satellite uplink. Authorities, who monitored the network news broadcasts, would then attempt to coordinate rescue efforts based on the news reports. This was best illustrated when Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera of Fox News, among others, reported thousands of refugees stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Rivera tearfully pleaded for authorities to either send help or let the refugees leave. Geraldo Rivera went so far as to compare the convention center to Willowbrook State School."[Geraldo Rivera & Shepard Smith Unleashed]." -- Video. 2005.
Many journalists also contributed to the spread of false rumors of lawlessness among the victims, which many have interpreted as an instance of yellow journalism. Many news organizations carried the unsubstantiated accounts that murder and rape were widespread, and in some cases later repeated the claims as fact, without attribution. However, only one actual report of a raping occurred during the uproar.Thevenot, Brian; Russell, Gordon. "[Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated]." Times Picayune. September 26, 2005. A few of the reports of rape and violence were based on statements made by New Orleans city officials, including the Chief of Police. Many officials later claimed these rumors often impeded the relief and rescue efforts.
Some issues of racial bias in media coverage began to surface as Caucasian flood victims were portrayed in one Agence France-Presse photo as "finding" supplies, while a black person was described in an Associated Press photo as "looting" supplies. The photographers later clarified the two stories, one claiming he witnessed the black person looting a store, while the other photographer described the white people as finding the food floating in floodwaters.Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David. P. "[Loot Loops]." Snopes. September 1, 2005.
The news media, both traditional and Internet, also played a role in helping families locate missing loved ones. Many family members, unable to contact local authorities in the affected areas, discovered the fate of a loved one via an online photo or television video clip. In one instance, a family in Clearwater, Florida discovered their mother was still alive in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi after seeing a photo of her on [TampaBayStart.com], a regional news site.
Restrictions on the media
As the U.S. military and rescue services regained control over the city, there were restrictions on the activity of the media.
On September 9, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, the military leader of the relief effort, announced that reporters would have "zero access" to efforts to recover bodies in New Orleans.Staff Writer. "[U.S. won't ban media from New Orleans searches]." CNN. September 11, 2005. Journalist Brian Williams also reported that in the process of blocking journalists, police even went so far as to threaten reporters with a weapon.Kurtz, Howard. "[Restrictions irk media members covering storm]." The Seattle Times. September 9, 2005. However, at refugee centers such as the Austin Convention Center and the Houston Astrodome, press activity was extensive. Immediately following the government decision, CNN filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against the federal ban. The next day, spokesperson Col. Christian E. deGraff announced that the government would no longer attempt to bar media access to the victim recovery efforts.
On September 7, KATU journalist Brian Barker reported that his team was threatened with automatic weapons by U.S. Marshals until they were identified by Brig. Gen. Doug Pritt, commander of the 41st Brigade Combat Team of Oregon, the unit they were embedded with.Barker, Brian. "[Brian Barker's weblog from New Orleans]." KATU. September 16, 2005. Subsequently, his team taped the letters, "TV" on the side of their vehicles in accordance with standard practice in war zones.
Toronto Star staff photojournalist Lucas Oleniuk was thrown to the ground by police in the French Quarter after taking several photographs, including pictures of a firefight between looters and police and the subsequent alleged beating of a looter by the police. The police attempted to take all of his equipment, however he convinced them to just take his camera's memory cards. In a separate incident, freelance photojournalist Marko Georgiev took photos of a body presumably shot and killed by the police. Police then pointed their weapons at the car and ordered the journalists out. They proceeded to search the car and confiscated one of Georgiev's memory cards.
See also
References
External links
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