Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Following Hurricane Katrina, political commentators have made the claim that journalists have finally regained the “backbone” that has been missing in action since the period just prior to the start of the war in Iraq. Eric Alterman’s recent essay “Found in the Flood” stands as a good example of this, as he heralds the media’s return to its role as guardians of democracy and defenders of the public good (i.e. its return to the role of Fourth Estate). Alterman observes “it was CNN whose aggressive and impassioned reporting provided the biggest surprise and offered perhaps the finest coverage in the network’s history.” This is exemplified, for Alterman, by Paula Zahn’s point blank interrogation of then FEMA director Michael Brown. “Is that fair” asks Zahn “to blame the victims, many of whom tell us they had no way out?”

The purpose of this paper is not to question the claim that Alterman and others make regarding the many instances of “aggressive and impassioned” reporting post-Katrina. What this paper will explore are two different, but related, points. First, the paper will explore how long this style of reporting persisted during the coverage of Hurricane Katrina (and subsequently Rita), keeping in mind whether this sharp and passionate coverage was indeed an actual return to media as Fourth Estate or rather a short-lived byproduct of “the news as spectacle” nature of most news coverage in the US in the late 20th and early 21st century. Second, and perhaps more importantly, this paper will explore whether this aggressive and ardent reporting extends beyond the Hurricane Katrina coverage, paying special attention to the reporting associated with the indictment of Tom Delay, the ongoing investigation of Karl Rove and the leak of the CIA agent, and coverage of ongoing events in Iraq, following Katrina. In addressing the first of these questions, I will focus primarily on cable and network coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Regarding the second question, I will look primarily at direct interactions between the reporters and government officials, primarily looking at press conferences, both before and after Hurricane Katrina.