Aftermath: Media Gave “Conflicting Reports” About Levee Breaches

Media outlets gave conflicting reports on the state of New Orleans’ levees on Aug. 29, the Wall Street Journal says.

“A look at news reports of the events of Aug. 29 paints a picture of confusion, miscommunication and conflicting information among some government officials and news media. Several major news outlets, including Viacom Inc.’s CBS network and National Public Radio reported the breaking of the Industrial Canal and flooding on Monday, although not all of the reports acknowledged the extent of the devastation.”

But many media outlets suggested that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. “In New Orleans, entire neighborhoods are underwater, but the levees held. The nightmare scenario of an entire city underwater did not happen,” Charlie Gibson said on Monday’s World News Tonight. Here’s the dissection…