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Is the Government Trying to Stem the Tide of Images From
New Orleans by Threatening Journalists?
FEMA Promotes Pat Robertson Charity
Crisis Profiteering: Dick Cheney, Halliburton and Hurricane
Katrina
Democracy Now! Engineer Mike DiFilippo Lends A Hand in Alabama
and Mississippi
Is the Government Trying to Stem the Tide of Images
From New Orleans by Threatening Journalists?
Journalists covering New Orleans in the aftermath of hurricane
Katrina report that militarization in and around the city
has hindered their work and threatened their physical safety.
We hear from two journalists who were reporting in New Orleans
recently. [includes rush
transcript]
The journalists who have been covering Hurricane Katrina
have literally been risking their lives for the last week.
Reporters have been stationed in and around New Orleans since
the Hurricane hit and have tirelessly reported on the devastation
to the city. Some journalists have expressed enormous outrage
at government officials for their slow response. A few television
reporters openly broke down on air as they report the horrific
conditions and the desperation of victims. Reporters have
witnessed the militarization of the city and are starting
to feel the effects of the government crack-down on information
gathering. FEMA is now rejecting requests by journalists to
accompany rescue boats searching for storm victims. In addition,
journalists are being asked not to photograph any dead bodies
in the region. NBC News Anchor Brian Williams reported on
his blog, that police officers had been seen aiming their
weapons at members of the media. And a blogger named Bob Brigham
wrote a widely read dispatch that the National Guard in Jefferson
County are under orders to turn all journalists away. Brigham
writes: "Bush is now censoring all reporting from New
Orleans, Louisiana. The First Amendment sank with the city."
Earlier this week, Reporters Without Borders issued a warning
about police violence against journalists working in New Orleans.
They highlighted two cases – in one case police detained
a Times-Picayune photographer and smashed his equipment to
the ground after he was seen covering a shoot-out with police.
In the second case, a photographer from the Toronto Star was
detained by police and his photos taken from him when police
realized that he had snapped photos of a clash between them
and citizens who the police claimed were looters.
- Tim Harper, reporter with the Toronto Star
- Jacquie Soohen, Independent film maker with Big
Noise films. Among her films - "Zapitista"
and "Fourth World War," where she traversed the
globe – from South Africa to South Korea, from Argentina
to Iraq- documenting anti corporate globalization struggles.
FEMA Promotes Pat Robertson Charity
Soon after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, FEMA promoted
a a list of charities on its website that were accepting donations
for hurricane relief. One of the top three was Operation Blessing,
an organization founded by televangelist Pat Robertson. We
take a look at some of Operation Blessing's past dealings
with Max Blumenthal of The Nation and Democracy Now! Co-host
and Daily News reporter Juan Gonzalez. [includes rush
transcript]
Soon after Hurricane Katrina crashed onto the Gulf Coast,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency promoted a list of
charities on its website that were accepting donations for
hurricane relief. Dozens of media outlets, including The New
York Times, CNN and the Associated Press, duly reprinted FEMA's
list. The top three charities listed were: the Red Cross,
Operation Second Harvest and Operation Blessing, which was
founded by Christian televangelist Pat Robertson. At a news
conference Thursday, FEMA chief Michael Brown was questioned
about the issue.
In the New York Daily News, Juan Gonzalez provides some
background for Pat Robertson and Operations Blessing.
Crisis Profiteering: Dick Cheney, Halliburton and
Hurricane Katrina
We get a report from Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy
Scahill on Halliburton's role in reconstruction in the Gulf
area, plus a survey of the current situation in New Orleans.
[includes rush
transcript]
Vice President Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton.
Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root was just awarded
$12 million dollars to repair the naval station in Gulfport,
Mississippi where Cheney was speaking, along with several
other facilities. Democracy Now correspondent, Jeremy Scahill
is in the Gulf where he too has been surveying the destruction
in New Orleans and other areas. He joins us on the line from
Baton Rouge.
- Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! producer and correspondent.
Democracy Now! Engineer Mike DiFilippo Lends A Hand
in Alabama and Mississippi
Democracy Now! engineer Mike DiFilippo has been voluneentering
with re-building efforts in Alabama and Mississippi. He joins
us on the phone from Wiggins, Mississippi. [includes rush
transcript]
- Mike DiFilippo, Democracy Now! chief Engineer.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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