The mediocrity of TV news
So, this morning local TV news stations were covering the eruption of Mt. Grand Central Station, the steam pipe explosion in Manhattan.
One of these yo-yos was talking about panic in the streets, about how just like during 9/11, people didn't know what was happening.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but on 9/11 we knew exactly what happened. There were planes sticking out of the sides of buildings, for heaven's sake!
One of these yo-yos was talking about panic in the streets, about how just like during 9/11, people didn't know what was happening.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but on 9/11 we knew exactly what happened. There were planes sticking out of the sides of buildings, for heaven's sake!
posted by Michael Riley at 2:54 PM
14 Comments:
Well, try to look on the bright side of it -- at least we were spared a few police chases on the tube while this was happening.
Oh, and Paris and Britney were nowhere to be seen. That's gotta count for something.
The steam/smoke coming up from the ground was probably terrifying for New Yorkers and commuters who may have gone through 9/11.
I will tell you Mr. Riley that for some people during 9/11 in NYC, although they knew planes had hit the twin towers, a lot of people did NOT know what was going on.
My husband and I have a friend who called us from a working cell phone on a ferry to Atlantic Highlands yelling for us to come get her. While running for her life, and being directed into buildings as the towers fell, there were crazy reports of bombs and continued air attacks in NYC.
At first, my friend had a news report on her computer at work that said a small aircraft (like a puddle jumper) crashed into the side of the first tower), so in many people's minds, there was no cause for alarm.
We did not know exactly what happened until much later. My take might be completely different, as my husband and I were racing up the GSP to retrieve our friend who finally we found in the fetal position at Riverview Medical Center...
All I know is when I saw the running people on the tv screen yesterday after that pipe burst, well yeah, I could see people comparing the feeling of uncertainty and fear to 9/11.
The media can certainly distort things, but in this case, it wasn't a big jump to compare things. Though planes stuck out of buildings on 9/11, for my friend and our family, things were not clear cut for at least a day...and that day was so long; it seemed endless.
Margaret
are you ray carlisle from manalapan?
Do people use their real names here?
yes
Thanks for noting how insane the media has become! Everything is 'breaking news' even if it's a broken pipe. Hey, wait a minute. I guess that does qualify as 'breaking' news. The Press has also been guilty of stretching a story too far. I'll never forget the above the fold front page across the page headline "DOUBLE BILLING!" . I thought a war had been declared!
Things have been better lately. Hopefully when they dump that ignoramious publisher of yours' it may get back to the credible journalism that the paper was once known for.
CNN, MSNBC, Fox Cable had Anna Nicole's post-death/trial and Paris Hilton's jail sentence (helicopters and paparazzi car chase a la OJ) as "Breaking News"..I call it the "Chicken Little" Effect..soon, the sky may literally be falling or major earthquake, nuclear attack somewhere or cat 5 Hurricane NY area and we will be all so blase to real emergency broadcast and breaking news that we may be unprepared to imminent dangers..
Now on TNT, when I watch Law and Order, white letters go across my screen and I think it's important info and it's only advertisement for another episode...
So things like that numb people and no one will pay attention when it's an actual emergency.
in a kind of meta-prank, someone posted here as me. It wasn't. If my picture doesn't accompany a response, it ain't me.
And now, suddenly my picture doesn't appear when I post. Oh, well, anonymity is sometimes a good thing.
I think it posts when you use Michael Riley, not "Mike"..try it again
anonymous wrote:
"are you ray carlisle from manalapan?"
The last time I checked the identification tag in my underwear, I was not.
My real name is Hanes.
When MSNBC was just starting out they had an afternoon show with Mitch Albom who wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie". At the time, Hugh Rodham, Hillary's brother, was in the news (for what, I don't recall - not that it matters) and he was being chased by the TV cameras as he tried to avoid them. One day Mitch Albom was talking about how bad the media is and how they miss the important stuff for the celebrity junk when a banner appeared at the bottom of the screen saying, "Breaking news - Hugh Rodham leaves house."
I laughed before I cried. I thought about calling Mitch during the call-in segment and telling him about it but I didn't because I thought I might get him into trouble.
OK, there we go. This is me, along with the mike posts. Anonymity is fine for some, but my ego won't permit it
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