TV News Anchors Pump Up Racial Tensions

'If Seattle Were Underwater...'

Boston Anchor: Americans Indifferent To Black City



For Boston-area NBC-TV viewers Friday, it was a quadruple-dose of unfounded allegations as news anchors, reporters, commentators and musicians worked overtime to promote racial tensions.

WHDH-7's local evening newscast kicked off the guilt-fest, pushing an evidence-less assertion that white America is indifferent to the suffering of a black city such as New Orleans.

How does this help the recovery effort?

From the transcript of NBC-7 commentator Andy Hiller's unjustified on-air tirade:


Little comfort comes from the comment of a former mayor of New Orleans: "...many of the people who did not evacuate could not evacuate...they are people who are African-American, mostly but not completely."

And there has been some biased news coverage... like these two pictures: one, showing a young black man, captioned with the word "looting"...the other--of two whites--described as "finding bread and soda from a local grocery store."

As pictures like this fill television screens around the world, black officials are angry that words like "anarchy" and "chaos" are used to describe them.

"Who are we to say what law and order should be in this unspeakable environment?" Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) Illinois said.

Even before he began viewing the Gulf States today, the President conceded government has failed:

"The results are not acceptable," Bush said.

We come in many colors, but we all share the same basic need: to survive.

The battle in the Gulf States is a fight for life, so how different do you think it would be if, instead of New Orleans, Seattle were submerged?

I suspect you'd see what's happening after Katrina is black and white.


When long-entrenched New England media hacks comment on other regions, luckily not often, their ignorance of America quickly becomes clear.

No exception here: Hiller should know Seattle has a majority ethnic population in its South End districts and suburbs, with African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics alike. Certainly, Seattle is sometimes cited as an example of a "white" American city, perhaps why Hiller chose it for his example.

Second, from where exactly are the two 'biased' newspaper photos referenced here and in so many other places Friday? What do the captions say and what was the context for each?

If Americans are so unconcerned with the plight of New Orleans, why the outpouring of emotional and monetary support from every corner of the country?

Some Massachusetts homeowners are now offering extra bedrooms for Katrina victims.

As for the government's response, that's an issue of bureaucracy, organization, resources and competence at local, state and federal levels. The city's unique geographical conditions worked against it, as well.

If another large American city were to be hit, I don't believe the response would necessarily be any more effective.

Hate to break the news, but FEMA's track record has long been poor. Ask earthquake, flood, tornado and hurricane victims nationwide if you'd like. This isn't new.

It wasn't just Hiller's intellectually dishonest Howard Dean-like guilt trip that greeted WHDH viewers. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams maintained the theme, with reports like this:


Katrina is, in its aftermath, exposing a part of the Big Easy overlooked in all that hype about Mardi Gras, jasmine and flaming desserts, the catastrophe has shed light on misery and provided an unfortunate commentary on race and class.


Then, of course, it was on to NBC's relief concert, where Kanye West delivered this baseless accusation:


GEORGE BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE... They're saying black families are looting and white families are just looking for food...they're giving the (Army) permission to shoot us'... Actor Mike Myers asked people to donate... then Kanye West went on a tirade about Iraq... MORE... (Drudge Report)


To top off Channel 7's bias-fest, their 11pm newscast kicked off with a lead story saying President Bush had "finally" arrived in the region. A nice editorial comment slipped into what was supposed to be news reporting.

Do you think WHDH gets its talking points memos from Air America's Randi Rhodes?

Beyond that, how much responsibility do you think the station and network are willing to accept for potential damage caused by blatantly encouraging racial tensions?


Update: more on the photo controversy here. Tip: Mike Anderson of St Louis Media.

Update: who's really discriminating? Could it be the mayor? Brainster's got it here.


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