FEMA fakes news conference…
EBRmx has a story by Michael van Poppel about FEMA staging a fake news conference that was picked up on some cable news outlets. The article features a grab of FNC covering the fake presser but I don’t know if MSNBC and CNN also covered it.
Update: MSNBC covered it too. Hot Air.com has the video. Still no word on whether CNN did…
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. government’s main disaster-response agency, has apologized for having its employees pose as reporters in a hastily called news conference on California’s wildfires that no news organizations were able to attend in time.
FEMA, which is still struggling to restore its image after the bungled handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, issued the apology after The Washington Post published details of the briefing which took place on Tuesday.
“We can and must do better, and apologize for this error in judgment,” FEMA deputy administrator Harvey Johnson, who conducted the briefing, said in a statement. “Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received.”
No actual reporter attended the news conference in person, agency spokesman Aaron Walker said.
Update 2: The AP has the story…
FEMA gave real reporters only 15 minutes notice about Tuesday’s news conference . But because there was so little advance notice, the agency made available an 800 number so reporters could call in. And many did, although it was a listen-only arrangement.
On Tuesday, FEMA employees had played the part of reporters. Johnson issued a statement Friday, saying that FEMA’s goal was “to get information out as soon as possible, and in trying to do so we made an error in judgment.”
When I read about this earlier.. it wasn’t very much of a shock. Welcome to the United States of propaganda. I realize the reporters don’t usually ask probing questions anyway.. but to think they staged this whole thing is deplorable. I say everyone involved needs to promptly be shipped to Gitmo for a game of my favorite pyramid. SHAME! Oh, and what else have ya lied about?
Comment by Terance — October 26, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
Amazing, purely amazing! Who would have thought the government would create propaganda to make us believe things worked and they were open to questioning? For that matter, that they make it seem like reporters would steam them. Uh huh, sure glad FEMA has moved up the rankings from Katrina here.
Comment by Chris (clind) — October 26, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
Are we sure that Fox News with the help of Jeff Gannon, Armstrong Williams and Scott McClellan didn’t help stage this FEMA news conference?
Comment by elmonica — October 26, 2007 @ 8:46 pm
CYA Time!
Comment by mike — October 26, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Spud, I saw it covered on Wolf Blitzer’s 7 p.m. program.
Comment by Missy — October 26, 2007 @ 9:07 pm
what! Missy watches CNN?!? But imagine that, bush faking a news conference. just like he’s been faking he’s in control of the country when really it’s his pet dogs. the dogs could probably do a better job though.
Comment by Me — October 26, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Me,
If you had bothered to read the AP story you would have leaned that the White House and Secretary Chertoff were unaware of this scam. They are now trying to determine punishment for this bunch of idiots.
I hope the reprimand is something meaningful - like losing your job!
What is so strange about the whole thing is that the federal response had gone so well. There was no need to embroil the department in some kind of fake story. Baffling!
Comment by Cella — October 27, 2007 @ 6:48 am
The Left-wing should know fake when thay see it ,after all it has PIAPS runn’in for President and she is as fake as thay come.
Comment by mike — October 27, 2007 @ 10:20 am
Why trust the White House and Chertoff? Perhaps they all thought it would be a newser that nobody would figure out was just a scam? Then, when people started asking questions, they denied. It’s not hard to do. Why I thought of that, I don’t know. I’m not even a conspiracy theorist. Just realizing the past year that you can’t trust anybody… ever. Definately not politicians and media.
Comment by Kevin O — October 27, 2007 @ 10:54 am
Kevin …As Billy Jeff would say “How Dare You” Blame the White House .
Comment by mike — October 27, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
TV Newser is reporting that heads are already rolling at FEMA over this outrage!
Comment by Cella — October 27, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Chertoff has no credibility. Earlier this year Chicago’s emergency dispatch center got a horrific rating from DHS after Chertoff and his staff praised it as one of the best in the country. FEMA should now be disbanded. Just another bureaucracy that doesn’t know what it’s doing.
Comment by Aaron — October 28, 2007 @ 7:58 pm