On the media hype tm, and people listening to warnings

[nadinbrzezinski]

One of the things that has been argued is that since the media is overblowing this, next time people will ignore the warnings...

Ok I am usually pretty gentle with people... but those who ignore warnings and fail to prepare for a slow moving storm, that gives you the chance to actually prepare, because the media blew it last time... they deserve what they get.

This is one of those things where I take a pretty much... IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to prepare regardless of the warnings or any darn track record. So if people go... they missed it (insert storm here) so why worry? Well you deserve what you get.

That is quite frankly the limit of stupidity to be honest.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Part of the problem is that since the media is 24/7 hype it can be hard to tell the important from

the silly. After awhile, most of us tend to take anything they with a grain of salt. That is a bad thing in some cases.

Also the total focus often leads to the ignoring of other things. Right now there is a major storm warning (with resultant flash flood alerts) for eastern Riverside County (California). Few in SoCal know that since it is not be carried in favor of Irene pics.

Living in the twigs, I well understand individual responsibility for preparation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I got my thing chirping

it's been chirping for the last forty eight hours

There will be some flash floods in Anza Borrego and the warning goes all the way down to San Diego (eastern San Diego CO).

Just that I have been hearing this for a few days... got me thinking about another age when we did not have media 24\7... and people complained about the same thing.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. Mine is too and got some calls from friends about it. Apparently it is running as a banner

on the Weather Channel in some areas. We are not subject to flooding, but are not far from areas that are. It could cut one of the secondary roads I could use. Picked a helluva a day to hold a training class...hot and humid.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Well since I am on the coast my local WS is not going bunkers

but further inland it will... or should

[AsahinaKimi]

66. Seems there was a time when

One got their local news at 6am, then noon then 5pm, followed by their National News at 7pm. Then later at 10 pm and 11pm there was Local and National News as well. That was it. I remember when the TV just had, ABC, CBS, NBC and NPR. There was no CNN or Fox News. Back then, to me..it seemed News people took themselves seriously and tried to make sure they got it right. That was probably the closest one would get to seemingly integrity in Journalism. Back then there were also local Newspapers and News magazines like Time and Newsweek. There was also tabloid crap that only a few paid attention to.

With time came change. Now I can only rely on what I see and hear on the internet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

67. And that was under the Fairness Doctrine

that people here attack and lasted at most two generations. The media that preceded that would make Fox look truly fair and balanced...

No, I am not kidding.

But even here people have swallowed how bad the FD was

[Eddie Haskell]

25. Exactly!

At one point after dire warnings and little damage, the man on the scene intentionally lost his cap in a gust.

[OHdem10]

2. Is this criticism of hype, the Conservatives once again showing

their worst side. Cannot stand the thought that
the Administration and the Governors for once
handled a situation as adults. I saw no hype.

Either you prepare for the worst and hope for the
best or you just do the typical Conseervative Way.
Let the situation become a crisis and after people
are dead in large numbers so to react.

For one time I felf things were under control and
my Leaders including all the Governors were taking
caffre of business.

Get a Grip Conservatives. You do not have a corner
on Leadership even though you mouth that thought
all the time.

May I remind the Conservatives---WE ARE IN A FINANCIAL
DISASTER BECAUSE OF YOU. You have no standing to
criticize the Media or anyone else.

KUDOS to Mayor Bloomberg.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. That is part of it

but we have been seeing plenty of hype (tm) claims here too... and how horrific it has been.

Perhaps I can filter the obvious bullshit and some of it there was... (some literal, FOX newsy all covered in SHIT... I hope he was decon and given a HEP vaccine, the liberal in me)... and gleam the actual info

[NYC_SKP]

4. Anyone who ignores future warnings based on recent coverage...

...just hasn't been paying attention.

Any adult paying attention should realize the media likes to enhance, that civic orgs need to err on the side of safety, and that meteorology is an inexact science, that weather can play tricks on us.

Like anything else, people need to be discerning consumers of information and act accordingly.

:patriot:

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Absolutely

but that was the claim made by a few here... and I just went... well, if that is the case... they deserve it. Yes even I have my limits.

[elleng]

7. Yes, and I don't think media is overblowing,

(Tho only watching Weather Channel.) Storm is STILL DANGEROUS, STILL causing flooding, STILL huge. Reason more injuries/deaths/accidents didn't occur? We were WARNED, took action, and local/state/Federal governments did their jobs!

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Yep, glad adults are in charge

[elleng]

18. Darn right!

:hi:

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. How would you do that?

IIRC, the cliche goes something along the line of...no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the public.

The media seems unable to go anywhere except hype and hyperbole. They do that because it gets them viewers. They get paid for having viewers. Not sure how you break that cycle in the US. Its not like the UK and Auntie...

Journalism is dead, if it ever really existed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. If you chose NOT to prepare because of media hype

I have my limits.

And this is one of them.

I know I have to renew my quake supplies... I do every three months...you think my media does not show the SAME EXACT crack at Lindberg every time we have a nice shaker? Or the same exact tiles? By your logic I should just ignore them and yes hold them responsible for it.

I know better. I am adult enough... and we watched a very different coverage... as they also issued the necessary warnings.

[FLPanhandle]

21. How about addressing the hype in media?

Why are you in favor of them hyping for profits? Seems strange along with your people who don't prepare can go to hell attitude. Odd position for a liberal.

I'd like to see some real information without having to filter the shit.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Well we watched a very different coverage

and it was you who claimed people will not prepare... well at that point yes I have my limits.

If I were in EMS still or disaster relief, yep they'd get the help... but on an individual level... it is THEIR CHOICE NOT TO PREPARE for whatever reason. The only excuse, which is not... is if you happen to be POOR and can't. At that point part of our preparedness should include silly stupid shit like the GOVERNMENT distributing water, food and running shelters... For the record you need the media to tell people where those shelters are... and you need the big bad guvmint to run those busses to take people to saith shelters. And even if the ARC runs them, you still need that saith transportation.

I guess I have a more nuanced view.

Enjoy that tilling at windmills though... it is cute.

But if you CHOSE NOT TO PREPARE because of media hype... yes you will be taken care off by the big bad guvmint... but jesus that is YOUR FAULT...

[FLPanhandle]

26. Still not addressing the media hype I see.

Why do you feel no one should call them on their coverage. You may have watched different coverage, if you didn't watch the Weather Channel, CNN, or any of the major news networks.

Maybe you have stock in them, since you are so adamant in their defense. Look at any news monitoring site and international news...they are all commenting on how hyped the major networks got.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. I watched MSNBC and I guess the hype came from people

like the President of the United States, the Mayor of NYC... Governor Purdue... and a few other PUBLIC OFFICIALS...

That is who I watched make those calls...

As I said, we watched a different media.

Oh and the hype continues from the WH... off the statement about an hour ago. OH THE HYPE, RUN!

Obviously this will be needed :sarcasm:

Sorry

[FLPanhandle]

32. Everyone knows the media hyped this.

But I've made note of your "don't complain about the corporations" and "fuck the people who don't prepare" attitude.

It's not pretty.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Oh I complaint about them... but on this one

they did exactly what they are supposed to do in a disaster... they relayed info.

You know the people stuck at FEMA really cannot do that. They do not have time.

Complaint about missing white women in Aruba, of course a trial that was over hyped, sure... but this... no, not really.

I am glad the adults are in charge... but I guess some people would prefer this...



We do definitely part company.

And if as you claim people do not prepare because of this... nobody is supposed to be responsible for their own readiness.

[FLPanhandle]

39. Your picture of George W sure is a good match for your attitude.

People that don't prepare, well, fuck 'em. You picked the perfect picture for your post.

[nadinbrzezinski]

42. Re-read what I posted

The big fat guv'ment will take care of them... or should... but it is the height of irresponsibilty NOT TO PREPARE AND BLAME THE MEDIA FOR THAT.

IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO DO SUCH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN EMERGENCY PREPARATION PLANS. BUT IF YOU CAN AND CHOSE NOT TO AND BLAME OTHERS IT IS YOUR FAULT. STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

Or are you NOT adult enough to understand this?

As a citizen you have certain obligations... voting is an obvious one... preparing for a disaster is a less obvious one. You are reminded of this every so often, prepare to be on your own for three days... at least. What is so hard? Oh yes. THE MEDIA HYPED IT (tm)

[FLPanhandle]

44. I did read your post.

It was ugly. So is this one. I think you are an ugly person.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. You are free to use the ignore poster or hide thread

[FLPanhandle]

46. No.

There are hundreds of issues. We may have opposite viewpoints on responsible journalism and hurricane scares but I'm sure there are other issues we might agree on.

While I may think you are way off base here, I might be totally in agreement with you on some other topic.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. FINALLY... agree to disagree

it just took three days...

[Whisp]

35. the President did not 'hype' it.

what full blown bullshit.

he was doing his friggin job. and he did it well.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. And that was my point

thanks.

:hi:

[jwirr]

53. On weather there has NEVER been a time when they could give us

absolute real information. Weather prediction is one of the must uncertain sciences we have.

As to the hype and why I would rather have it than no news see post 49. One of the best things I saw coming out of the so called "hype" was the almost empty streets of NYC. When the storm hit the people were safe and no policeman or fireman had to go out and risk their lives to rescue them. Those of us who get angry about people who do not listen remember the professionals who are at risk because someone did not prepare.

As to the media hype. The storm was a Cat 3 before it hit land and it could have either gone up to a Cat 4 or down to the Cat 1. No one knew which way it was going until it hit. No one knew what type of conditions to prepare for. Weather reporting is uncertain. Better err on the side of safety than be wrong. Also many people will not prepare unless they think it is going to be really bad. It is the "oh, we will just ride this one out, it doesn't look bad" attitude. We should call the media out on hype but weather is a bad area to demand no news unless they are certain. They would not have reported it until it was very close under those rules. I grew up in Iowa's tornado alley and we had tornado warnings almost every night in the hottest time of the summer. It saved a lot of lives.

[HockeyMom]

10. I called my daughter LONG before any evacuation

and told her to get out of her basement apartment within walking distance of the ocean before a HURRICANE. What "official" scaring people? This is no brainer. Blame MOM on this one.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. thumbs up to mom

:thumbsup:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

14. IMHO, there was no hype. The amount of damage in my county is huge. Lots of flooding.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Yep, I agree, but to folks who were missed

or had little damage, there was.

The damage assessment is not even done yet. THe event is not over in a few places either.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. I'm getting huge gusts now. No, it isn't over.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. You take care,

:hi:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

31. Thank you!

:hi:

[Waiting For Everyman]

19. I think the same thing, Nadin.

I don't buy that premise anyway. I don't think the authorities gave any impression of recklessness. They don't issue these warnings for fun. And a great deal of the media coverage was the direct public statements of those authorities speaking. That is immune to hype. What's said, is said.

I don't think any sensible adult misunderstood the truth of this situation. And I believe this experience educated many on what to do next time, who may not have paid much attention prior to this. I think they'll be even more likely, not less, to listen and evacuate if necessary in the future.

Any who take on a macho attitude next time and refuse to listen deserve the Darwin Award.

[geomon666]

20. Thank you for this thread n/t

[Atman]

27. I thought it was over-hyped, but we prepared just the same.

Glad we did. Lots of damage, some very large trees down including one which took out our power. Since we're on a private road with only three houses, we're not a big priority for the power company. I expect to be without power for days.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Glad you did

We are finally going to get our emergency radio.... the hurriquake really reminded me why I need that one, never mind we have had battery ones for years. But it it is time to replace those with a crank one.

[FreeJoe]

28. When you listen to the warnings...LISTEN CAREFULLY

My pet peeve here is the innumerable people in non-evacuation zones that evacuate anyway, making it much harder for the people that need to evacuate.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. YUP that is part of the problem

and the ones who are told to do so and don't

[jwirr]

56. In a city the size of NYC that could be a huge problem. I was proud

of how well they did this weekend.

[taterguy]

36. Life is about choices and you need reliable information to make an informed decision

Is it stupid if you've saved money all year for a vacation and don't want to spend it in a shelter?

Not really, if the previous dire warnings resulted in little actual risk.

Comments from the media and local government were so over the top with this storm that I doubt they'll be taken seriously in the future.

Our nation is built on taking chances.

Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Will I evacuate if I'm ever on the coast when a storm shows up? I don't know, but that doesn't mean I'm 'stupid.' It just means I believe in calculated risk and the media's performance last week has changed how I'll calculate the risk.

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. And if you don't, it is your own fault

you should check on a few people here on DU for whom this was not hype.

[taterguy]

40. The ratio of casualties to the hype is still way out of whack

And I'm only attempting to explain the thought process of those you call 'stupid.'

People spend 51 weeks a year, often times stuck in a shit job they hate.

If they guess wrong about a storm, technically that's their responsibility, but I wouldn't heap scorn on them.

[FLPanhandle]

41. Neither would I

That's the Bush attitude during Katrina.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. Well if you chose to blame others for your actions

so be it

By the way include the POTUS... the head of DHS, a few governors and a few Mayors in your hype charge please.

I prefer the adults in charge.

If they did not do this, people would be complaining that they didn't.

[taterguy]

47. I'm not blaming others, just pointing out that people who make different choices . . .

aren't necessarily stupid.

Do you call people go whitewater rafting 'stupid.'?

The percentage of people killed or injured doing that is probably higher than the percentage of people injured or killed who don't obey evacuation orders.

ps: I did include government officials in my post. One comment that set me off was about how many body bags would be needed for people who didn't evacuate but I couldn't remember exactly who said it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. A local mayor

and yes when it comes to disaster preparedness I'd prefer people take responsibility for their own disaster supplies... in my mind it is the adult thing to do, but that is just me... don't expect everybody to do that. Some REALISTICALLY CANNOT AFFORD IT... and that is where the big bad guvming comes in... but for those who can... that is the responsible thing to do. And blaming the media for not doing it, is childish.

Not doing it because it is your own choice and you don't want to. Sure you are an adult... and hopefully you will never need those supplies... but do not blame an outside agent for that.

[taterguy]

52. Who said anything about supplies? My post is about whether or not people decide to evacuate

Denying that the media plays a role in how people make those decisions is dangerously delusional.

ps: It wasn't a local mayor that made the quote I was thinking about. It was a fire chief.

[nadinbrzezinski]

54. Outer banks... NC

By the way I made the same call to the media. I wish I was wrong when I made it and would have had people laugh at me for making it.

We ended up recovering over 20 bodies. And yes, I wish I was wrong. I am sure he is not unhappy he was wrong either.

And as I said if people make these life and death decisions based on media... it is not the adult thing to do. As to people evacuating, they also need to pay attention as to WHO or WHAT is a mandatory evac and what is not. THe media is giving you the necessary data.

[taterguy]

58. It's a very "adult" thing to do

The last two times the Outer Banks were evacuated, no casualties ensued.

The next time there's an evac order, casualties might ensue because people will say: "Fuck it. I'm staying." (Have you priced what it costs to rent a house on the Outer Banks lately?)

I won't claim that I know exactly what goes into making the call on an evac order. Right now, the perception is that it's just officials covering their asses, which might lead to very dire consequences. (I hope I'm wrong).

[nadinbrzezinski]

59. You are wrong

an evac order is complex and never is made lightly.

[taterguy]

60. It doesn't matter if I'm right or wrong. What matters is the perception

And I'm right about that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

61. ok, have fun...

we can agree to disagree. I am personally glad, and I am sure that Fire Chief is as well, that he was wrong... if he were right and did not issue the orders oy... that is all I can say

[taterguy]

62. No one would have noticed or cared if the village of Frisco didn't have enough body bags

A storm that destroyed the part of Hatteras with the highest elevation would have done so much damage elsewhere that no media attention would be given to Frisco. A major city like Norfolk or Wilmington would probably get taken out in the same storm.

Besides, most of the body recovery would be done by the Coast Guard anyway.

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. So you think there would be no finger pointing

if we had oh 20 preventable deaths?

You are serious?

[taterguy]

64. That's not what I said at all

My objection was to his ordering extra body bags, just to get his name in the paper and get people needlessly panicked.

[nadinbrzezinski]

65. Actually let me explain to you that "hype."

It is called CYA... you see if those 20 people were killed, after refusing to evac, and family came and sued... it is on tape. WE TRIED TO WARN THEM but we cannot force them out.

It was partially the same reason I issued that media "hype." I wish I was just as wrong as the Fire Chief by the way... and that the likes of Howie Kurtz used my statement to go

SEE HYPE!!!! <-----------------

Alas I was right... and I am happy as peaches we are having a discussion about the Fire Chief hype... instead of discussing what else they could do to force people out.

[taterguy]

68. North Carolina officials have governmental immunity

It wasn't about protection from future lawsuits.

It was about avoiding the hassle of having to feed anyone on the island if HWY 12 washed out. (Which it did).

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. Ok... so there was no partial cya involved

:sarcasm:

That is the truth... and that is the partial explanation.

[taterguy]

70. My position is that fear of lawsuits was not a factor in this situation

If you cite one case where a North Carolina official was successfully sued for something that happened during a natural disaster then I'll shut up about it and apologize.

[jwirr]

49. I agree. Years ago we had many deaths due to snow storms that

came out of the blue. That was before radios and tv. Before warnings. Today there are few such deaths because the media alerts people to the chance of a storm. This week was no different. With the warnings - exaggerated as they were, people prepared, evacuated and lives were saved. Without that warning many more could have died.

I would much rather get scared enough to prepare than lose everything because I did not have a chance to get ready. I am 69 years old and have been through snow storms, ice storms, tornadoes, hail storms and floods - give me a warning any day.

And yes, Nadin, I have trouble feeling real sorry for people who ignore warnings. Of course in storms like Katrina it was not the people ignoring the warnings it was the people in charge. There it was all but criminal.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. Absolutely agreed with Katrina

that was as irresponsible, even criminal, as it gets.

[malaise]

55. I agree

By the way I don't think it's agood idea to bring people home before tomorrow - too many folks without power.

[nadinbrzezinski]

57. That should be a very local county to county, at times

small section of town by section of town decision.