Retired Newsday reporter Lou Dolinar offers this look-on-the-bright-side look at the response to Katrina.
Admittedly strongly influenced by the fact that it was linked to by Insty, I'm putting this article in the "explain away" rather than "explain" column.
For instance, he says that "fewer than 1,000 bodies have been found in all of Louisiana".
The passive construction […]
I don't necessarily believe any of the 9/11 conspiracy theories, but at the same time they need to be given a fair hearing. Last year, Popular Mechanics offered a 9/11 debunking article that received a lot of attention. Unfortunately, it was written by Ben Chertoff. And, he might just be the cousin of one Michael […]
One of the more gruesome tales coming in the aftermath of the storm was the claim that 22 dead people tied to a rope had been spotted in Violet, which is in St. Bernard Parish. It wasn't a case of just a really long rope: it was a tall tale. "Officials debunk one of the […]
Shades of Major Ed Bush! Another NG official has stepped forward to reassure us that the reports of widespread murder, rape, and other violence at the Superdome were just plain wrong:
…The colonel in charge of the National Guard at the Louisiana Superdome in the days after Katrina said the shelter of last resort was a […]
Michael Fumento has an essay discussing the various stories he alleges the media got wrong. Could someone look through the archives here and providing supporting or contrary links to his various points?
Are hurricane evacuees spreading crime to the cities to which they've been evacuated, including committing felonies, bringing drugs, and forming gangs? Snopes examines a chain letter, and says it's not so.
Please put other examples relating to both the claim and attempts to downplay it in the comments.
This interview downplays the charges of violence at the Superdome.
[nofollow policy in effect]
Getting a late start, Reuters downplays the reports of violence in "Accounts of N.Orleans violence questioned". It's a very standard article in the genre, concentrating on Maj. Ed Bush of the Louisiana National Guard and including:
Bush, who spent eight days in the Superdome, said New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and former Police Chief Eddie Compass […]
The NYT joins the re-writing fray with "Fear Exceeded Crime's Reality in New Orleans".
Before reading that article, you might want to take a look at "FBI investigating NOPD corruption, phantom cops; $5k bonus" and "Mortician contradicts reports downplaying crime, Part 2". Both of those, er, "amplify" the NYT's reporting:
…It is still impossible to say if […]
The NYT tries to downplay the reports of murders, rapes, carjackings, and assorted violence in "More Horrible Than Truth: News Reports". Somehow I don't think the story is going to stand the test of time as various reports are confirmed.
…And many of the urban legends that sprang up - the systematic rape of children, the […]
