A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

We have another mainstream media report taking the mainstream media to task for its misreporting adventures regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Kudos to the L.A. Times for having issued its story and here's hoping that more news outlets follow up. The myth of complete social collapse in New Orleans should be completely exposed and should be shot down. Truth is owed that much.

Of course, all of this means that the next time there is a real disaster, if a complete social breakdown really does occur, the media may be gun-shy about reporting it. It should be noted as well that the misreporting that went on in this case is a consequence of the "if it bleeds, it leads" attitude that most journalists take. It seems as if there is some kind of virtue attached with reporting bad news. Such reporting--it is thought--makes news organizations seem edgy and hard-hitting. But it's exactly that kind of mentality that led to the misreporting in this case.

I suppose it would be too much to ask at this point that we have just straight reporting of news. Good and bad. Let the chips fall where they may. It would be nice to see news organizations accept this new ethos. But the reigning ethos will probably be with us for a while longer, never mind the journalistic breakdown it led to in the coverage of post-Katrina New Orleans.

 

(Cross posted on Red State.)