Irresponsible Journalism
John F. Kraus II RN
Macon Georgia
Editors,
You need to publish a retraction of Charles Richardson’s column for October 4, 2005. This column contains several factual errors and is an example of poor source checking and the lazy repeating of others mistakes. I found these two serious errors very easily and confirmed them in about 45 minutes of internet searching.
First, to allege that Mr. Brown had not “planned the agencies response to other catastrophes” is easily disproved by a simple visit to the FEMA website. However, since this information may be removed I am inserting it in the body of this letter.
http://www.fema.gov/about/bios/brown.shtm
Quote from that source:
Under Secretary Brown has led Homeland Security’s response to more than 164 presidentially declared disasters and emergencies, including the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster and the California wildfires in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Brown led FEMA’s thousands of dedicated disaster workers during the most active hurricane season in over 100 years, as FEMA delivered aid more quickly and more efficiently than ever before.
However, an argument could be made that none of these events rise to a “catastrophe”; but then who would qualify in Richardson’s view?
The second error is far more serious in my opinion. It repeats a discredited report to support a charge of cronyism. This allegation is rampant on liberal blogs but has been repeatedly denied by those involved. The New York Times has published corrections related to several Op/Ed columns that made this assertion. If Mr. Richardson can show a source to substantiate this I am certain many would like to see his proof.
Op-Ed columns by Paul Krugman (Sept. 5 and 9), Maureen Dowd (Sept. 10) and Frank Rich (Sept. 18) said Michael Brown, the former FEMA director, was a college friend or college roommate of Joe Allbaugh, his predecessor. They went to different colleges and later became friends.
Source: The New York Times corrections online at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/pageoneplus/corrections.html
Lastly, while it can be argued that the ice incidents were an example of poor coordination it remains to be seen exactly where the fault lies.
To quote the City of New Orleans Office of Emergency preparedness:
OEP Mission Statement
The Office of Emergency Preparedness is responsible for the response and coordination of those actions needed to protect the lives and property of its citizens from natural or man-made disasters as well as emergency planning for the City of New Orleans. Our primary responsibility is to advise the Mayor, the City Council and Chief Administrative Officer regarding emergency preparedness activities and operations. We coordinate all city departments and allied state and federal agencies which respond to city-wide disasters and emergencies through the development and constant updating of an integrated multi-hazard plan. All requests for federal disaster assistance and federal funding subsequent to disaster declarations are also made through this office. Our authority is defined by the Louisiana Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, Chapter 6 Section 709, Paragraph B:
Source: http://www.neworleanscert.org/
My question is did the City of New Orleans meet their responsibility as they have outlined above. Note they are supposed to coordinate the State and Federal response.
To give Ray Nagin a pass because he is a “first term mayor” is ludicrous. The planning for emergencies is not done by the mayor but by a city bureaucracy. In Macon it is the Macon Bibb EMA led by Johnny Wingers. It is however the mayors responsibility to make the decisions on how and when to implement the plans. It is simply too early to point fingers and lay blame. A responsible Journalist would know and state this fact while trying to find the truth. Where are the real investigative journalists when America needs them?
I think Mr. Richardson’s column is an example of the worst type of journalism. This column is full of partial truth, raw speculation, outright errors and inflammatory rhetoric that does a disservice to your paper. It would be more appropriate for the National Enquirer but I suspect they would fact check it and reject it out right.
I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Jefferson:
It is a melancholy truth, that a suppression of the press could not more compleatly (sic) deprive the nation of it’s benefits, than is done by it’s abandoned prostitution to falsehood. Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field(DOCID+@lit(tj100173))
John Kraus
The Angry Citizen
http://angrycitizen.net/angrycitizen/
Michael Brown Bio
Michael D. Brown
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and ResponseMichael D. Brown was nominated by President George W. Bush as the first Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the newly created Department of Homeland Security in January 2003. As the head of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Under Secretary Brown leads federal disaster response and recovery operations and coordinates disaster activities with more than two dozen federal agencies and departments and the American Red Cross. He also oversees the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration, and initiates proactive mitigation activities.
Additionally, Under Secretary Brown helps the Secretary of Homeland Security ensure the effectiveness of emergency responders, and directs the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center, the National Disaster Medical System and the Nuclear Incident Response Team.
Under Secretary Brown has led Homeland Security’s response to more than 164 presidentially declared disasters and emergencies, including the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster and the California wildfires in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Brown led FEMA’s thousands of dedicated disaster workers during the most active hurricane season in over 100 years, as FEMA delivered aid more quickly and more efficiently than ever before.
Previously, Mr. Brown served as FEMA’s Deputy Director and the agency’s General Counsel. Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Mr. Brown served on the President’s Consequence Management Principal’s Committee, which acted as the White House’s policy coordination group for the federal domestic response to the attacks. Later, the President asked him to head the Consequence Management Working Group to identify and resolve key issues regarding the federal response plan. In August 2002, President Bush appointed him to the Transition Planning Office for the new Department of Homeland Security, serving as the transition leader for the EP&R Division.
Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant to the city manager with emergency services oversight responsibilities and as a city councilman.
Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.
A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law.