PressEthic

Rampant rapings. Uncontrollable murders. Mobs of looters roaming the streets holding the civilan population under siege. Anyone who watched the gripping news accounts of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina was left to believe that humanity's base instincts triumphed over civilization during this crisis. But, while the truth was undeniably horrible, it seems that like so many times before, the imagination of certain reporters and participants got the better of them, and many of these stories reported as fact are nothing but urban myths.

Or at least that's according to The New York Times' David Carr, who recognizes certain reporting during Hurricane Katrina among journalists, pseudo-journalists (like Tucker Carlson), and political leaders as what was: blatant irresponsibility. As it turns out, many the horrid stories showing human nature at its worst -- such as rapings of toddlers and the slitting of a 7-year old boy's throat -- have never been substantiated in any way. In fact, according to the most updated facts listed in the article, just 10 people died in the the Superdome and only two rapes were reported in all of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina --- and the vast majority of the deaths were due to 'neglect rather than overt violence.'

As Carr notes, there's no doubt that lawlessness occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For instance, a band of thugs did take control of the convention center and someone did shoot at a helicopter attempting to rescue numerous people. So why the inaccurate, sensational reporting? Is it just another example of bottom-line -driven reporting, a sense by journalists on the scene that they must please their superiors and relay the "hottest" information they can find? Or, as Carr supposes, are urban myths unavoidable, just another byproduct of national tragedies such as the World Trade Center disaster and Hurricane Katrina?

The public's need for accurate and disciplined journalism is undoubtedly at its peak during situations like Hurricane Katrina. If done correctly and without unnecessary sensationalism, the public may again recognize the importance of the news media and begin to trust journalism again. But if inaccurate reporting such as this continues, there may be no stemming the public exodus away from the mass media. The practitioners of journalism may all be patting themselves on the back for a job well done in the aftermath of Katrina, but it's clear that there's a lot more work to be done to win the public's trust back.