CNN's Survivor: New Orleans

Drudge links breathlessly to the brewing backlash against the hyperventilated rumor-mongering on the part of the MSM during the initial aftermath of Katrina.

Now, there are going to be congressional hearings etc. focusing an acidic glare on the actions of the federal, state, and local governments, and this is a good thing: as VDH pointed out in Carnage and Culture, one of the things which distinguish a particular type of democratic culture is the willingess to learn from mistakes, even if that means the odd banishment.

But what I'd like is for the presidents of the news divisions of the various networks to have to come in under oath and answer the following questions:

1. How many gallons of aviation fuel were consumed by news helicopters doing endless voyeuristic overflights of disaster areas? Where did they get the aviation fuel and the helicopters? What is the victim rescue/per gallon ratio of helicopter fuel for the Coast Guard (the number of rescues they can do per gallon of aviation fuel consumed), and therefore how many rescues/emergency missions/food and water deliveries/hospital flights were not able to be done so as to satisfy their desire for ratings? How and why can we let the precious assets of helicopters, trained helicopter pilots, and aviation fuel needed for so many critical missions in the immediate aftermath of this type of natural disaster be used for what became CNN's version of Survivor: New Orleans?

2. How many meals, and how many gallons of water were consumed by reporters, cameramen, personal attendents, valets, etc. by media in the disaster area? How many people were forced to live in substandard emergency shelters so that media types could stay in comparative luxury?

I think FEMA, the administration, Gov.Blanco-cheque, Mayor Nagin, and the police chief of the NO-PD should be put under the white hot glare of public scrutiny and full accountability for their actions---but this same scrutiny needs to be applied to the members of the media themselves.

How many poor African-Americans died because helicopters, pilots, and fuel were diverted to satisfy CNN's lust for ratings?