Katrina coverage reminded me of Albert Brooks on the old Letterman show many moons ago, talking about his in-flight movie being Six Pack with Kenny Rogers and wondering if the plane was going down would they at least switch to Paths of Glory or something? "I don't wanna die with Kenny," is how he put it.
So, in the case of a hurricane you've been tracking for days, weeks, and particularly one with such a potential for serious consequences, wouldn't it be possible to bring in real journalists? People who can speak extemporaneously or think on their feet? Warn viewers first, if you must. "Due to the exceptional circumstances the world finds itself in at present, we have replaced Ken & Barbie with real journalists. Please do not panic. Regularly scheduled fluffery will return as soon as feasible."
I have friends in N'awlins. I was trying to watch early Monday. Gad. Ten minutes at a time, tops, was all I could take, switching back and forth between MSNBC and CNN like that would act as a studpidity tourniquet. I heard one guy refer to a "very heavily forested trees area" and watched as a forklift hoisted another to demonstrate how high twenty feet was. Wow. It was way up near the ceiling.
Thanks Doghouse, I thought it was just me and my nasty screw them all and let Cthulu sort them out attitude that made following the Katrina disaster so difficult.
ReplyDeleteIt's as you say, I'd be watching, praying for the slightest shred of actual information and suddenly, seemingly magically, the channel would switch to Bowling for Dollars or The Lucy Show. Something that held much more relevance to the situation than the BS on CNN or MSNBC. Even my weather weenie buds at the Weather Channel annoyed the crap out of me with their macho 'I'm in the direct path of danger' blathering shit.
Just sayin'
switching back and forth--news pong
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