Brian Williams Reports Media Suppression in NOLA

Brian Williams Reports Media Suppression in NOLA
September 7th, 2005
I was none too happy with Brian Williams the other night when I read his blog post about couching his report on the weather alert from the National Weather Service. He wins a reprieve tonight for his report on the media being blocked from doing their job in NOLA. Hat tip to Atrios for this and Talk Left has more on the subject here.

Here’s a few quips from Brian Williams:

An interesting dynamic is taking shape in this city, not altogether positive: after days of rampant lawlessness (making for what I think most would agree was an impossible job for the New Orleans Police Department during those first few crucial days of rising water, pitch-black nights and looting of stores) the city has now reached a near-saturation level of military and law enforcement. In the areas we visited, the red berets of the 82nd Airborne are visible on just about every block. National Guard soldiers are ubiquitous. At one fire scene, I counted law enforcement personnel (who I presume were on hand to guarantee the safety of the firefighters) from four separate jurisdictions, as far away as Connecticut and Illinois. And tempers are getting hot. While we were attempting to take pictures of the National Guard (a unit from Oklahoma) taking up positions outside a Brooks Brothers on the edge of the Quarter, the sergeant ordered us to the other side of the boulevard. The short version is: there won’t be any pictures of this particular group of guard soldiers on our newscast tonight. Rules (or I suspect in this case an order on a whim) like those do not HELP the palpable feeling that this area is somehow separate from the United States.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=463

from reporting because of orders from the White House and the people are aware of a possible cover-up in action.

Media must inform the people they're being blocked from reporting the news!!


http://downingstreetmemo.com/

and also today, of visiting NOLA and showing what she called "the stories nobody is showing or telling".

She didn't hold back the horrors, including the dead on the city streets.

She even visited the dome which became like a tomb for the people stuck there. The mayor warned her not to go in and would take no liability for it.

Oprah said "I'm a strong woman, I can take it". It really was too horrible for me to describe, but you can imagine.

People, including the police chief, talked of the murders and rape of children.

I have no doubt the media is being censored once again, and the RW spin machine is in full tilt.

Good to hear she was down there.

I was thinking of commending her. She did such a great job, I found myself thinking, gee, how about Oprah for congress. Hell we have auunold out here in California. Frankly, I think she could win. What do you think....of course the bar is set very low now.....thanks to the creature from crawford.

Anyway, if the repeat it, try to watch. I have a feeling it will disappear, it was quite controversial, especially for the big O.

the businesses she is now running?

was interesting. Tonight on Lou Dobbs he used the word squatters to describe the people stillin NO that don't want to move.

It's a friggin no mans land down there now.

The internet is where the real news is, anyway.

Phuck the mainstream, government-subsidized press. They're virtually useless. Bloggers are VIRTUAL-ly savvy.

:kick:

He called in to some bloggers today. The media is in, they are being suppressed.

I thought you could tell a change in the tone of the coverage just the past couple of days, as opposed to the first few days. Remember the wrenching reports from Jeanne Meserve on CNN, on the cries she could hear, from people and animals, and how she choked up; the reporters actually angry and exposing things during reports, etc., and now lately--as you would probably expect--it is all dull and safe, and "now the Democwats are pwaying the bwame game against Pwesident Buss." They may be "suppressed," or they may just be their usual corporate-buttfucking selves, but lately again, they are not informative and not worth listening to (except the fabulous McClellan press conferences on C-SPAN2 with the great Helen Thomas, and David Gregory of NBC--wonderful!). You know it's bad when Keith Olbermann, like a phony, calls Nancy Pelosi's great comment about Bush "out of control." What did that even mean?

Nancy was out of control. He reiterated that Bush was out of control.

since being on the ground in NO, beginning with his stay in the Superdome. I wonder if he feels somehow betrayed by the administration for their disastrous response, since apparently he was a big supporter before. Converts are potent forces once they've seen the light. I don't think we should give up on the media yet. They need encouragement.

I blasted him the other day. Feel sort of bad about that. Hope he keeps this up.

Those who are there in LA or MI or AL - completely different. Honest reporting.

As Harry Reid (CBS morning show guy) who was there and is going back -- it's worse than it looks on TV. Much much worse.

Harry Reid is that Senate dude.

like in Iraq attempting to cover what is really going on, if their shutting down american media, you know Bush needs to suppress the news because NO. death rate is going to be so high they'll need to cook the figures and save Bushies ass!