Did anyone else notice the similarities between the media coverage of the hurricane and of a winter storm?

The same old reporters doing the same old stand-ups commenting on how much rain they were getting in their section of the world.

Not to imply that the hype machine was confined to Philly, check out Greg Easterbrook's post.

good article, however, I disagree that "The scientific case for artificial global warming is in fact getting stronger." Not in my book.

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."

this guy knows what he's talking about
you can say that again. here, here blob. there has been very littel support for global warming theory of a factual kind. he's right about the media hype though. same with new movies. sure they make more money but what's so amazing about that with $8 tix instead of $4 ones. it's the same sort of statistical manipulation and exaggeration that global warming theory makes its bread and butter.

"Did anyone else notice the similarities between the media coverage of the hurricane and of a winter storm? "

How could people not notice. It was pathetic. Is the news so slow that they had to make Isabelle into a Super Bowl event? Like, what is a local TV correspondent doing reporting from North Carolina for? That's a national story, not a local story.

I did not know if I was watching the news or a movie.

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"To do is to be." -- Plato
"To be is to do." -- Socrates
"Do be do be do." -- Sinatra

Agreed - too bad the newscasters can't focus on real issues (God knows there are many).

But, it tends to be the same here and elsewhere in terms of "blown-out-of-proportion" coverage.

Do you think the follow-up coverage has been sensationalistic or just right?

Yes, I do think the follow-up coverage continues to be sensationalistic. Instead of continuing coverage of "liquid gold" dry-ice lines (more on this later), where are the questions to power officials about the feasibility of underground power lines? Why have I not yet seen a story about a lineman working his butt off to restore power? Instead, all I see and hear is "hundreds of thousands still without power." Though that statement was technically true at the time it was made (190,000 according to the graphic), it was ostensibly meant to imply a continuing crisis.

The problem in Philadelphia, and elsewhere, is that news coverage has become formulaic reporting where the formula is more hype, not journalism. I know it's windy and rainy. I have windows. Why not show me an aspect of the story I can't see by looking out my window?

Now, about the dry ice story, Channel 10's Lisa Kelly called dry ice liquid gold for the hundreds of people standing in line waiting for it. Dry ice is not liquid, it's frozen carbon dioxide, a gas at room temperature. When dry ice "melts," it changes directly from a solid to a gas without going through a wet liquid stage, a process called sublimation, hence the name "dry ice." When Kelly was writing her voice over, I think she should have paused and wondered, "if it's called dry ice, should I really call it liquid gold?"

Granted, most people would not have caught the mistake, or cared even if they had. However, journalists are expected to know what they're talking about and should therefore make sure their stories are accurate in all regards. It makes me wonder what else they can't get right in their stories.

That's great. You sound very angery about this. Keep it up. I like anger.

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."

Yeah the STORM OF DEATH FILM AT 11 hype gets me as well - and I hate to say it, but having also lived in VT/NY/CT/MD/TX and spent time in most major municipalities across our fair states - Philly is the worst weather hype city I have seen.

Interestingly enough I was in Baltimore for the week, and during Isabel. I spent a good deal of time down on the water (Canton) that evening, drinking and commiserating with good friends. One refused to come in to the city because he had been watching the TV and was afraid. Those of us who were enjoying ourselves, interestingly enough, had simply read the weather service reports.

Slash and burn is all local news knows. There is no other language for them. This element is not unique (or should we say endemic?) to philly- only the massive hype of ANY atmospheric disturbance.

Those further south did have something to fear. Friends who were vacationing in NC said it was quite spectacular.
-G

Needless to say, there's a Simpsons bit lampooning this tendency..."Action News" coverage of the killer winter storm, with Kent Brockman raising his fist and crying out in an anguished voice, "Damn you snow!!!"