Balancing coverage with safety…
We interrupt the liveblogging for a Hurricane related story. Nick Madigan of the Baltimore Sun writes about the battle between a reporter’s desire to get the story with the fact that that story could end up taking their life… (via WHAC)
“The first thing we tell them is, ‘Don’t be a hero,’ ” said Nancy Lane, CNN’s news director, as she concluded her fifth conference call of the day in preparation for the storm. “We don’t need any heroes.”
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Other CNN correspondents, including John Zarrella and David Mattingly, remained in New Orleans, evidently with the intention of riding out the storm. But in the absence of the network’s satellite truck, Zarrella, who was staked out at the Superdome, went on the air by borrowing the equipment of a Houston affiliate, KPRC, a gesture for which CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield expressed thanks from her desk in Atlanta.
Mattingly, at the New Orleans waterfront, had to settle for a satellite phone — also known as a digital newsgathering kit — which transmits a grainy, jerky image through a computer.
This story is a joke. CNN’s Fredericka Whitfield threw to taped packages all night long, their only reporter of note fled town early in the afternoon, and they were in commercial breaks all night long. I was embarrassed FOR CNN as I tuned into other networks to get live news from New Orleans.
Comment by JMW — August 29, 2005 @ 11:16 am
I agree with JMW, CNN was extremely bad last night. But what’s worse is this writer obviously doesn’t understand that he should have been writing about one of the news networks that actually had live reproters all night long and weren’t goign to taped reports. They ahd the cahllenges. CNN didn’t have those challenges with Larry King, commercials and taped reports. The fact that this Baltimore Sun writer was watching CNN’s canned packages and then chose to write about their coverage says A LOT about him.
Comment by Gene — August 29, 2005 @ 11:30 am
I see Gene really means it, but I have to agree with him on this one. The writer looks foolish when he writes about the one news network whose coverage is sub-par with the others. Steve Harrigan’s reporting alone runs circles around everything and everyone CNN has to offer.
Comment by Gregg — August 29, 2005 @ 11:43 am
I just read the story. When the writer wrote that story Fredrika Whitfield was throwing to taped stories. Is he that out of touch?
Comment by ms. anonymous — August 29, 2005 @ 1:43 pm