Monday, August 29, 2005
Armageddon
My favorite moments of coverage from today:
1. Following CNN 'journalist' Jeanne Meserve's use of the term "Armageddon" to describe the devastation in New Orleans, Wolf Blitzer--manning the Situation Room--notes that because Jeanne Meserve is a professional journalist whose business is precision and accuracy, if she has used the term "Armageddon" then the situation on the ground must in fact be "Armageddon."
2. A CNN 'reader email' asking: "I wonder whether countries around the world will send help to America the way we did for them after the tsunamis?"; cut back to Wolf who, chuckling, says "I wouldn't hold my breath."
3. Pat Robertson looking/being crazy; rambling and muttering about the price of oil; obviously suffering in his attempts to restrain himself from saying more crazy shit.
4. Mississippi governor 'Haley Barbour' choking on a hot dog, convulsing and frothing.
In general: what I've seen of the TV news coverage of Hurricane Katrina reflects a deep, almost profound disappointment that America has been robbed of the chance to have several tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of its citizens transformed instantaneously into "heroes"--yet a faint hope that at least homeless/sick/suffering people (although a costly annoyance) might constituite quasi- if not full-fledged heroes.
posted by Blicero : 8/29/2005 10:25:00 PM
1. Following CNN 'journalist' Jeanne Meserve's use of the term "Armageddon" to describe the devastation in New Orleans, Wolf Blitzer--manning the Situation Room--notes that because Jeanne Meserve is a professional journalist whose business is precision and accuracy, if she has used the term "Armageddon" then the situation on the ground must in fact be "Armageddon."
2. A CNN 'reader email' asking: "I wonder whether countries around the world will send help to America the way we did for them after the tsunamis?"; cut back to Wolf who, chuckling, says "I wouldn't hold my breath."
3. Pat Robertson looking/being crazy; rambling and muttering about the price of oil; obviously suffering in his attempts to restrain himself from saying more crazy shit.
4. Mississippi governor 'Haley Barbour' choking on a hot dog, convulsing and frothing.
In general: what I've seen of the TV news coverage of Hurricane Katrina reflects a deep, almost profound disappointment that America has been robbed of the chance to have several tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of its citizens transformed instantaneously into "heroes"--yet a faint hope that at least homeless/sick/suffering people (although a costly annoyance) might constituite quasi- if not full-fledged heroes.
posted by Blicero : 8/29/2005 10:25:00 PM
