Deflecting the Blame

Analysis:

The reporter in this piece makes some very general statements about what the citizens of New Orleans think about the government response to the flooding of their city. In the piece it is noted that the Federal government had specific warnings in advance of the hurricane of the potential for catastrophic flooding. The reporter notes that this revelation is like a “punch to the gut” of the people hardest hit by the hurricane. He then goes on to generalize that despite this, most of those affected blame local and state officials and that “there is just no time to worry about the political finger pointing.” These statements by the reporter are not backed up by any actual data such as opinion polls. Rather the viewer is presented with statements from two individual residents. The effect of these comments is that it leads the viewer to dismiss the allegations of incompetence by the federal relief efforts because it’s just “political finger pointing” or because the residents most effected are not blaming the federal government. These general statements about what the residents of New Orleans think do little to actually inform the viewer on the events surrounding the flooding and relief efforts in New Orleans. Rather they prejudice the viewer to potentially dismiss the allegations put forward by these US Senate hearings.

Story:

WOOD 8 Newsreader #1 – The US senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs continues hearings on the government’s response failures during Hurricane Katrina last August.

Newsreader #2 – Today members of the committee focused on a 2004 simulation drill that predicted much of the devastation that Katrina wrought on the gulf coast. Jay Grey has that story tonight from New Orleans.

Reporter – In the aftermath of Katrina even President Bush said quote: I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees. But documents released Tuesday by senate investigators show somebody should have known. A homeland security memo to the White House just hours before the storm hit says, quoting again; any storm rated category four or greater will likely lead to severe flooding or levee breaching.

Senator Joe Lieberman – Katrina was not just predictable it was predicted over and over again.

Reporter – Other documents dated two days before the storm point to data from a doomsday drill conducted in Louisiana in 2004 and said it should be quote; common knowledge that hurricane driven flooding from Katrina would cause catastrophic problems in the crescent city.

Felthus Blaise (New Orleans Resident) – I know they knew, we knew.

Reporter – And now more than five months since the storm and still struggling from the affects of Katrina this latest information is like another punch to the gut for those working to reclaim their lives and restore their communities. But those hardest hit say the majority of the blame should fall on those that were on the ground in New Orleans, local and state officials who many believe didn’t move fast enough.

Dervin Blaise (New Orleans Resident) – They might not have prevented the homes but they could have prevented a lot of lives from being lost.

Reporters – And while they are angry, most here say there is just no time to worry about the political finger pointing. They must instead focus on the years of work ahead as they try to bring there city back. In New Orleans, Jay Gray, 24 hour News 8.

Total Time: 1 minute 49 seconds