WHINERS AT NEWSMAX BLAME THE MEDIA FOR KATRINA "PERCEPTIONS"

[powergirl]

Taking another page out of the Iraq war playbook, Newsmax is complaining that the media "slanted" it's coverage about the hurricane in obvious bias to the prez. And of course, no newsmax article would be complete without invoking the name of Clinton!

Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005 11:28 p.m. EDT
House Homeland Chair Blasts Katrina Coverage

Bush Vows Aid for Storm-Struck Gulf Coast

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/15/234104.shtml


"Newly appointed House Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King is blasting the media for slanting its coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster to turn public opinion against President Bush.

Asked why President Clinton wasn't blamed for natural disasters during the 1990s, King told WMET-Washington fill-in host Steve Malzberg: "The advantage the Clinton administration had was it didn't have so many TV reporters who were geared against the president that they would totally slant the news."

King said the Federal Emergency Management Agency's handling of the Katrina crisis hasn't been the unmitigated disaster reporters claim.
"The FEMA of ten years ago certainly did not do any better job under much less comparable circumstances than FEMA did this time," he told Malzberg, who was filling in for nationally syndicated radio host Linda Chavez.


"Of everyone involved, certainly they were the least culpable," the House Homeland chief said. "I think the main fault was the state and city of New Orleans - they did a terrible job."
The New York Republican added: "Our response plans are based on the premise that the local first responders will handle the initial onslaught. We were't expecting that the local government would do absolutely nothing."

:woohoo:

[RagingInMiami]

1. I just don't remember Clinton standing by while an American city drowned

[babylonsister]

2. But...but... did the media create

photo ops of bloated dead bodies? Did the media fill the SuperDome to overflowing, denying the basic essential, water, to the masses, and do nothing? Sorry, doesn't wash, Newsmax.

[KellyW]

3. As Clinton use to say...

When the repugs were on the lame taking points-
"That dog won't hunt"

[TomPainesBones]

4. Hilarious

"The advantage the Clinton administration had was it didn't have so many TV reporters who were geared against the president that they would totally slant the news."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Skittles]

5. yeah, it was slanted alright

:o

[Wordie]

6. According to the Federal National Response Plan, the Feds are responsible.

The plan says that the Secretary of Homeland Security assumes responsiblity when the state is overwhelmed and assistance has been requested (as everyone knows, there has been a huge debate about whether Blanco made such a request, or made it "properly"). But, that issue aside, it also says the HS Secretary will assume the responsibility when so directed by the President.

Therefore, it was either the PRESIDENT'S failure to direct the HS Secretary to assume responsibility, or the Secretary's failure to carry out those responsiblities that lead to the slow response.

So the Newsmax people are spinning away, when the President's OWN plan gave him the ulimate responsibility.

The National Response Plan is here (html version): http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:3BvdYFKO9vEJ:www.nemaweb.org/docs/national_response_plan.pdf+National+Response+Plan&hl=en

<snip (excerpt)>

V. Roles and Responsibilities
B. The Federal Government
1. The Secretary of Homeland Security
d. Incident Management
(3) Provides direction for the application of the Federal Government’s
resources utilized in response to or recovery from domestic incidents if and when any of the following conditions or thresholds apply:

a. A Federal department or agency acting under its own authority
requests the Secretary’s assistance;

b. The resources of State and local authorities have been overwhelmed
and Federal assistance has been requested;

c. More than one Federal department or agency has become substantially
involved in responding to an incident; or

d. The President directs the Secretary to assume responsibility for
managing the domestic incident.