Slate: The Rebellion of the Talking Heads

Jack Shafer on a shift in reporting: “many of the broadcasters reporting from […] New Orleans have stopped playing the role of wind-swept wet men facing down a big storm to become public advocates for the poor, the displaced, the starving, the dying, and the dead.” (via MetaFilter, who also link to this astonishing piece of video from Fox News—Fox News!—in which Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera—Geraldo Rivera!— refuse to paint the picture as anything but bleak. Sean Hannity: “I wanna get some perspective here, because earlier today the images were all—” Smith, pointing: “That is perspective! That is all the perspective you need!”)