Where is the fucking media?

[illuminaughty]

I'm not trying to be a ghoul with the body count on Ike but something is beyond wrong with this picture.

OK, Gustav was a big enough story to cancel part of the Republican convention. Why? Because the pigs needed to slop up some fake sensitivity but also because they knew they wouldn't get shit for coverage because everyone's waiting for a Re-Katrina. Gustav failed to deliver although don't tell people in Houma that. But not big enough to induce chop licking for the MSM.

Okay, here comes IKE. Every mofo dropped the Palin sch tick and ran to Galveston. If you watched the storm (through the entire storm) you heard them say it was some of the worst conditions they'd ever seen. That the worst fact is that 24,000 people rode it out (on the island) I'm sure if more of our Texans/Louisianans had power they could tell you it is an ongoing clusterfuck. (family is in Louisiana and Texas) But a mere 36 hours after the storm, the media is denied coverage to the worst hit areas...we have some flyovers. can see that Bolivar/Crystal Beach/Gilchrist is destroyed. As they put it, 80% of their tax base is no more. A local reporter goes off on Perry about the black out and then...that's it. The three major cable networks are giving no time to this story.

Think what the media motto is: If it bleeds it leads. Yeah, I understand there is a financial meltdown, but hell, how many citizens have a good understanding of what this means to them personally? If you're going for ratings, and we know they do, they'd be doing the feel good stories of survivors (as many on here have pointed out) or giving us the gruesome details. But instead, nada.
Remember Katrina? How long did that coverage last? It was on 24/7 and even Geraldo was screaming for something to be done. And we still didn't get the real story. But this time, they packed up, gave up and left town. Ever seen this before in a major disaster in the U.S. not to mention the fourth largest city in U.S.? Hell, Greensburg here in Kansas got more coverage.

Who's got their Nazi boot up who's ass to keep this story suppressed? It's quite creepy and horribly sad for those who could use coverage to get them the help they need

[MichaelHarris]

1. I know two things

The mayor of Galveston has really clamped down on the media. Galveston and Bolivar peninsula are really messed up and about to be closed due to Marshall Law. I grew up along the Texas coast and one thing that will mess you up is snakes after a storm. Bolivar is full of them on whatever land is left.

I'm not condoning any censorship of the media, I think that's the worst thing you can do. I will say that whoever goes into places like Bolivar really be aware of the dangers. I've been around a lot of media and they tend to stumble around. Downed power lines, flooded streets, and gator filled ditches are not places to stumble. Someday I hope DU gets a photographer(Me) and starts doing some news. I'm always available and will travel :)

[Buttercup McToots]

3. No fly zone...FAA

I heard there was a no fly zone established...purposely to keep news helicopters out...

[MichaelHarris]

4. I have not heard that

but I can see it happening. The air would be full of Coast Guard, National Guard, and News choppers. With area airports either shut down or working with limited capabilities it would be dangerous. I know that the Coast Guard and National Guard do mobilize with air traffic control but I would venture to guess that they wouldn't want to fill their traffic with hundred's of media choppers.

I know the tin-foil stuff sounds great and would make a fantastic novel but it's just not happening.

[shadowknows69]

5. Well presumably they also aren't allowing embedded reporters

If we aren't seeing any footage of that kind yet. There should be no reason they couldn't allow a few national press vehicles in the air. They don't want martial law on the evening news again.

[EFerrari]

22. The Feds shut it down Saturday morning. It looks like

that was changed yesterday but I haven't caught the official announcement.

[TxBlue]

36. The Heck you say. Reporters were in the thick of Katrina from beginning

and for days. Anderson Cooper, Geraldo, et al were there.

They won't even let Houston reporters in. But I have noticed plenty of Fema defenders/PR or just clueless say nothing to see, move along. Must think we have memories of a moth.

I'm tired of it.

[ladywnch]

12. I've heard the same thing..... to keep the airspace clear for rescue efforts

uh huh.....

[remember2000forever]

6. Andrew-South Florida? Katrina-New Orleans? Na-aa, No Snakes There!

Face it folks. Our Government is not equipped to handle the situation and they do not want documentation of their inadequacies.

We had the National Guard on most street corners after Andrew. Oh I forgot! Our National Guard is "helping" Iraq!

[bushmeister0]

29. If you remember Andrew was another Bush family spectacular.

No National Guard that I know of for at least a week showed up in the Redlands. Back when NPR was good they were down there interviewing folks in south Dade sitting in front of what reamined of their houses for days with guns in their laps awaiting help. Hell, even my cousin in South Miami waited a week for any help at all.

[datasuspect]

8. i knew a guy named Marshall who was a former Harris County Sherrif's Deputy

but i think you mean martial law.

[TxBlue]

37. heehehe....good one

[liberal N proud]

2. Just like the bodies returning from war,

the media isn't going to show the despair that was shown during Katrina. After all, it's an election year and they wouldn't want to hurt the chances of the repbulicons chances in November.

[bdamomma]

13. there is a cover up going on, shameful

isn't anyone helping these people.

[Atman]

7. Amen. This is horrifying. I lived in a community just like Gilchrist, and holy shit..

...entire towns just completely vanished, and no one is saying a word about it. When a single tornado took out a Kansas town recently -- KANSAS, where tornadoes grow like corn -- we had a week of coverage. But possibly 24,000 are missing and it doesn't get a mention? Something is indeed seriously, seriously wrong here. I do believe they're manipulating the news to avoid a pre-election Katrina replay.

.

[Junkdrawer]

9. What we think of re "Lessons from Katrina" and what Bush/Chertoff learned are two different things.

Imagine if the headlines on Monday screamed "1, 000 dead in Ike's aftermath, death toll rising." Think that maybe, just maybe, there would be much more intense NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL media scrutiny of FEMA's recover efforts?

And questions about how many who couldn't evacuate were not given assistance.

With "10 to 20 dead", the story is now a page 2 or 3 news item outside the region.

[lonestarnot]

10. Well CNN said that "6 more bodies were found" this a.m.

:crazy:

[uppityperson]

16. Interesting bit in this article: death toll levels off as search for survivors ends

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jG1m4XT341oCKXPMIZlKffdhP9vwD938K9682
Ike's US toll hits 51; search team leaves island

By JON GAMBRELL – 53 minutes ago

TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) — Hurricane Ike's death toll in the U.S. climbed past 50 on Wednesday and appeared to level off in Texas, where search teams pulled out of Galveston having searched the entire island for survivors....(more)
-----------------------------

Of course they haven't searched all the collapsed or flooded buildings or gone through all the piles of rubble, but the search for survivors has ended. So now they leave and now we get to assume that all the dead have been found? I don't think so.

[dgibby]

11. Thank you!

Excellent post. I have seen a little more coverage since that local reporter got in Gov goodhair's face the other day, almost got him to admit the feds had imposed the no fly zone. My guess is that there's more than concern about snakes and gators. I'm thinking more damage to oil platforms, refineries, higher body count, and, last, but certainly not least, that level 4 bio lab. CNN is reporting today that the death toll in all states is rising (offical count @ 48, I think). The #'s certainly don't jive with the pictures, though, and the news blackout is very, very troubling. I smell a rat, big fat political wharf rat!

[Kool Kitty]

34. Biolab?

Holy moley-there was a biolab in the path of this storm?

[dgibby]

14. MSNBC

MSNBC just reported that 80% of structures intact in Galveston, but that the 20% that were destroyed accounted for 50% of the tax base of the city. They are also reporting rising death toll, but I didn't hear the number. I'll try to catch the entire report when it cycles again.

[DangerousRhythm]

15. Back online after Hurricane Ike. I saw local news 24/7 and...

I know at least the ABC news reporters (KTRK) seemed pretty pissed off that they weren't allowed to fly over a certain portion of those cities. The mayor of Houston, Bill White, seemed quite angry as well and there was some sort of weirdness between him and Governor Rick Perry, but they played that down for unity's sake or whatever. You guys should watch the streaming news for more info than the cable news networks are giving you.

Local media websites:
KHOU-TV (CBS): http://www.khou.com/
KTRK-TV (ABC): http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/index
KPRC-TV (NBC): http://www.click2houston.com/index.html
KRIV-TV (FOX): http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/
KIAH-TV (WB): http://www.39online.com/pages/main

They really were very, VERY careful not to talk about potential deaths and possible body counts. It seems they are wanting to confirm with each family and it comes off as being very sanitized to me. I wish they'd be a bit more open about it, really. With the numbers of people who stayed, you know it has to be more than 20 or so deaths, however many the tally is up to right now.

[illuminaughty]

25. I just watched Click2Houston

and saw some of the new aerial shots. I get on computer so late that the streaming news has even been finished by the time I get to it.

My family was quite surprised to hear that national news is barely covering this, since it's on 24/7 in Texas. Think we need to start bugging the MSM to cover this.

[SoCalDem]

17. The "lack" of bodies, means that no one died..Get it?

They all managed to get out at the last minute, and are sipping piña coladas by the Hilton Pool, somewhere in west Texas.. They have called no one to report in, because they are just having too much fun..
:sarcasm:---> in case you missed it..

Truth-be-told, anyone who was "scoured" off those beaches, and nearby land, were washed out to sea..nothing to "recover", and as the families come to grips with that, one family at a time, it's not "big news"...

[illuminaughty]

26. It's so convenient when they're washed to sea

It's like they never existed.

Yeah, I'm with you...Rick Perry brought in a Ginormous limo at the last minute, drove them to Vegas and they're just really caught up in playing Kino.

[DemoRabbit]

32. Has ANYONE reported on the number of people MISSING?

I'm sure I haven't heard anyone referred to as "missing"...

[tbyg52]

18. Wayne Delciofino (sp?) was just saying

that local law enforcement people were not being allowed to go to Crystal Beach, Bolivar, etc.

He said it seemed to be that the feds who were controlling entry were taking the instructions that no one was to be allowed back in too literally, but who knows.

[Supersedeas]

21. that's a hard one to believe

[earth mom]

19. I'm feeling the exact same way about it. There's a cover up going on to be sure. nt

[likewowman]

20. I remember being struck at how it was not covered very extensively

Even on the Internets, it's hard to find good coverage.

[EFerrari]

28. Welcome to DU, likewowman.

:)

[EFerrari]

23. It's as if they're all sleepwalking through their "coverage".

Little curiosity, no real questions, regurgitated talking points, sheep-like following of government instructions of what they can shot, write or print or show.

Our media has been completely destroyed. :shrug:

[chill_wind]

24. Other sources

CNN flyover of Crystal Beach

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2008/09/14/vo.crystal.beach.cnn?iref=videosearch

Other sources

Lots of pictures and sat images as you scroll down here at this blog:

http://jakeabby.com/cb/



links on there to 125 pictures said to be Crystal Beach

http://picasaweb.google.com/heatherrkilgore/MadNonnieComCrystalBeachTexas?authkey=d00oKKtL_lY#

Crystal Beach survivor talks to media (reports 3 deaths he alone knew of, while media was denying reports of any:

http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=283601

raw video-- Ike flattens Bolivar Peninsula

http://www.truveo.com/Raw-Video-Ike-Flattens-Bolivar-Peninsula/id/3540717824

[illuminaughty]

27. Thank you for the link

The rescue story is the same one my niece in Texas told me about, where they stop him from naming names of the dead. Why hasn't that story been on national news?

[chill_wind]

31. Yes-- they cut him off quickly and changed the topic..

[krispos42]

30. It's Dannielynn's first birthday!

You know, the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith?


The media's got MAJOR shit to do!

:crazy:

[illuminaughty]

33. Ha! That's great!

My friend actually referenced Anna Nicole tonight. We were talking about how the media only allows us one story to follow ad nauseum and the more trivial it is, the better. Meanwhile, they're serving up extermination in the South while we have no clue.

[krispos42]

39. Quick! Somebody lose a white woman! We need a distraction!

:crazy:

[TxBlue]

35. Why can't I recommend this story? Is there a limit on recs?

[krispos42]

40. There's a 24-hour time limit from time of post.

You were about 8 hours too late. :-)

[Jamastiene]

41. Yes. There is a time limit of 24 hours.

In other words, if it has been over 24 hours since the thread was started, you cannot rec it any more. I had the same problem. I was going to rec it too.

[TxBlue]

38. So Feds took over....anything to do with the bi O la B ????

Like to know what the physical damage to that is.

I've never seen the tone after a hurricane. Absolutely nothing or it's the victims' fault. Yep, they shouldn't ever been there. So forget about it.