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For reporting that is an embarrassment to the profession of journalism, and for being beholden to corporate paymasters rather than the citizens of America.
Leslie J. Howe of Columbia, Maine, nominated FEMA as the BuzzFlash
Media Putz of the Week with the succinct statement: "Goes
without saying."
However, BuzzFlash did have to think over making an exception
to our tradition of awarding the Media Putz honors to an individual.
But we didn't have to ponder for long.
After all, the now infamous FEMA "news
conference" in
the wake of the destructive California fires says so much about
how the Bush Administration fakes
the news -- and laughably
symbolizes how little actual so-called reporters add to a news
conference. (How much different would the "information" disclosed
have been if "real journalists" had attended"?)
If you recall, FEMA held an alleged press conference on such
short notice, the press could not actually attend. The reason
for this was that FEMA wanted to -- and did -- use its own
staff, posing as reporters, to ask softball, setup questions
about FEMA's response to the fires. In short, it was a fake "news
conference" with "fake reporters" aimed at projecting
a positive image of the tarnished agency under Bush.
The Bush Administration pretended to get all upset that it
happened and fired the guy "responsible," but manufacturing
news and even inventing it has been the hallmark of the Bush
Administration from day one. From video releases disguised
as news to paying off columnists to writing the message points
for everyone from FOX "News" to Rush Limbaugh, the
Busheviks have gloried in propaganda. One just needs to look
at their manipulation of the news in the months leading up
to the Iraq War.
The FEMA simulated "news conference" was entirely
consistent with the entire White House outlook on handling
the press. It was the symbolic convergence of a servile press
crossing over to one that was completely faked.
In some ways, it was a watershed moment for the heirs of Rove.
The West Wing powers that be were probably only pissed off
that the ruse was uncovered -- not that it happened.
For using its own internal staff to pretend to be reporters
asking questions about FEMA's performance in California, the "heck
of a job" agency certainly deserves being named the BuzzFlash
Media Putz of the Week. But the most upsetting reality is that
the answers given by FEMA at the "press event" would
probably not have been any different if "real journalists" were
in attendance.
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