This week FEMA, our governmental hero and savior, held a staged press conference in reference to their outstanding performance in dealing with the California fires. FEMA employees asked a series of questions in a posed press conference that was carried live on FoxNews and MSNBC (link).
FEMA set this up as genuine press conference. They only gave fifteen minutes notice to reporters, and would not allow questions via telephone. They intended for it to be aired, and thus suppressed freedom of press by having federal government employees pose as journalists.
This seems to be accepted by many because FEMA is being praised for doing a much better job than it did with Hurricane Katrina. The two incidents have little in common. Katrina was a multi-state disaster that caused millions to lose their homes over a few hours. Also, Katrina happened in a location that is mostly poor, and thus the residents cannot "self help" as easily. California is a wealthy state. Individuals have more money, and the state has more money. The number of people without a home is a fraction from Katrina, and the duration is much sorter: days versus months and years for most involved. So the California job was much easier for FEMA.
The control of the press is not new. Armstrong Williams, a syndicated radio personality, was paid $241,000 via the Department of Education to promote the No Child Left Behind Act as part of a public relations campaign (link). Control of the press can also be attributed in my previous post, Public Domain.
FEMA set this up as genuine press conference. They only gave fifteen minutes notice to reporters, and would not allow questions via telephone. They intended for it to be aired, and thus suppressed freedom of press by having federal government employees pose as journalists.
This seems to be accepted by many because FEMA is being praised for doing a much better job than it did with Hurricane Katrina. The two incidents have little in common. Katrina was a multi-state disaster that caused millions to lose their homes over a few hours. Also, Katrina happened in a location that is mostly poor, and thus the residents cannot "self help" as easily. California is a wealthy state. Individuals have more money, and the state has more money. The number of people without a home is a fraction from Katrina, and the duration is much sorter: days versus months and years for most involved. So the California job was much easier for FEMA.
The control of the press is not new. Armstrong Williams, a syndicated radio personality, was paid $241,000 via the Department of Education to promote the No Child Left Behind Act as part of a public relations campaign (link). Control of the press can also be attributed in my previous post, Public Domain.
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