A Political Hurricane

The unforseen consequence of the disasterous response to Katrina may be an emboldening of the mass media in the US. Long cowed by successful and relentless accusations of bias, chronic underfunding of investigative activities, and wider and wider syndication of thinner and thinner content, the US media has suddenly found a voice. They are speaking out repeatedly and forcefully on the subject of Katrina and its aftermath.

The US media has found a voice because of two main factors. The first rests on the utter irrefutability of the culpability of government in the disasterous handling of the Katrina’s approach and aftermath. To quote George Tennent, “its a slam dunk” for every reporter covering the tragedy.

The second factor is more subtle. US media outlets have shied away from commentary on political topics for years, preferring instead to stage mock debates between practised and polished spin-meisters from the two main parties. This saves them from any accusation of bias while allowing them to say they still broadcast opinion. It is a shallow and meaningless way to debate politics in the US, and it fosters a culture of dueling talking points. Not a conversation at all but dual soliloquays, never actually meeting. The shudder-inducing horror of New Orleans has shaken on-the-ground reporters to the point where their tolerance for these mock debates and talking points has snapped.

Washington - “For God’s sake, are you blind?,” a woman shouts at the head of the federal emergency management agency (FEMA), Michael Brown.

“You’re patting each other on the back, while people here are dying.”

The woman is not a victim of Hurricane Katrina. She is a reporter with US television network MSNBC who is so affected by the misery she has witnessed she can hold back no longer.

We hope these same reporters will retain their nose for bullshit and begin to gain back some of ground the lost by the fourth estate in the last decade. If this well-founded sense of indignance were applied to politicians’ empty posturing around other burning issues, the people would be much better served.