Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 13:26:35 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Tornado!
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

>
>Erica VD Ginter wrote:
>
>> It's interesting to see how much more media coverage this tornado is =
getting
>> compared with "my" tornado in Sept. The combination of more commercial
>> property damage and diminished 9-11 news are obviously major factors. =
But
>> Beltsville is still repairing and cleaning up, and Lydia still panics =
when
>> there is heavy rain, wind, and/or thunder and lightening. And you can =
bet
>> she wasn't especially calm on Sunday when we were following the weather
>> reports! In the long run, I think the Ginter family personal disaster
>> ratings for September went (highest to lowest): Puppy, tornado, 9-11. =
How
>> unpatriotic of us.
>
>Channel 9 obnoxiously interrupted 60 MINUTES repeatedly -- destroying two =
of the
>three pieces presented on that program -- with non-news about the storm =
*before*
>it crossed the river into Maryland.   Previously it had devoted its =
entire
>half-hour local news program to reporters standing about saying "the sky =
is
>getting darker now -- I bet it's a lot worse south of here" and repeated =
showing
>of its much-vaunted "Dopler 9" "real-time" radar images which simply =
showed the
>storm south of Springfield.  And before *that* they interrupted and =
co-opted the
>CBS network news.
>
>Absolutely *nothing* Channel 9 showed during these interuptions was =
necessary or
>could not have been dealt with in a "crawl" on the screen.  (And much of =
60
>MINUTES had banners imposed over the top of the screen.)  This kind of =
media
>hysteria *before the fact* reminds me of the boy who cried wolf.   No =
doubt
>Channel 9's news honchos are crowing now about how they were "on top" of =
the
>storm as it approached La Plata, but as far as I can see they screwed up =
two
>hours of broadcasting to no positive effect.
>
>--Ted White

If it bleeds, it leads.

mjw