Kudos, CNN

MANIFESTO

Finally(!) CNN has stepped up the the plate and once again become one of the most important news outlets in the country. Their coverage of Katrina and the aftermath has been superlative, not only because it has been so extensive, but because they are finally challenging the Powers That Be for their failures. Jack Cafferty started it off with his righteous indignation at the lack of relief reaching the people. Soledad O'Brien then ripped FEMA head Mike "Brownie" Brown a new one for claiming not to know the number of people needing help. They've also given an outlet for New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's outrage. (His clip is one of the most candid pieces of political outrage I've ever heard.)

And now they have a article about the "big disconnect" between the "official" version of the situation versus what people on the ground are actually seeing. It absolutely evicerates FEMA and the government's response. An excerpt:

FEMA chief Brown: We learned about that (Thursday), so I have
directed that we have all available resources to get that convention center to
make sure that they have the food and water and medical care that they need.

Mayor Nagin: The convention center is unsanitary and unsafe, and
we are running out of supplies for the 15,000 to 20,000 people.

CNN Producer Kim Segal: It was chaos. There was nobody there,
nobody in charge. And there was nobody giving even water. The children, you
should see them, they're all just in tears. There are sick people. We saw...
people who are dying in front of you.

Evacuee Raymond Cooper: Sir, you've got about 3,000 people
here in this -- in the Convention Center right now. They're hungry. Don't have
any food. We were told two-and-a-half days ago to make our way to the Superdome or the Convention Center by our mayor. And which when we got here, was no one to tell us what to do, no one to direct us, no authority figure.

This is great journalism. I'm glad one of the major media companies is finally asking hard questions. There is no doubt in my mind that the harder they press, the quicker people will get the help they need.

NOTE: I can't get the stupid links for the videos I mentioned up top. To find them, go here. The clips titles are 'Cafferty: Aid Mission Bungled' and 'FEMA Under Fire.'