PressEthic

We learned this weekend that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and her staff were concerned about bad PR during those first days of the Katrina aftermath.

“Drop the emotion, the anger and all those detail-oriented briefings, Blanco’s aides told her. Get out to the disaster zone to visit emergency shelters, and repeat again and again: help is on the way,” says the NY Times.

No we’re not surprised. The governor’s office is watching their state fall into ruins before the eyes of people around the world putting all their jobs in jeopardy.

An investigation is forcing this sort of disclosure, but it’s almost surreal to read what was going on in the government. The spin didn’t take a break even in a disaster. I have no doubt that on some level, these government officials wanted to help their constituents. But they stayed focused on shedding whatever positive light there was to be had in this situation. Professor Stephens’ says in his article “We’re All Postmodern Now,” the job of journalists is to cut through that spin, which they did pretty effectively. Now that we know we’re being spun even in life or death situations, I wonder if it’ll make a difference.