An open letter to NBC news, 9/2/05, on Katrina reporting

An open letter to NBC News, Friday, 9/02/05 10:39 PM


I just gave up on "Dateline" Friday PM edition because...


...because I realized that the stories this evening were the same old 'stacked-deck' accounts that go all the way back to days of slavery, and you are doing your damndest, despite all protestations, to keep it going. What did I see that was so offensive?


I saw folks taking the initiative to walk out, heading up the high way and borrowing a reporter's cell phone to call one girl's father to come meet them. They were all white.

I saw 3 nurses and one's daughter walking out bravely, despite a cut foot. They were all white.

I saw hundreds, thousands maybe, of people waiting, seemingly helplessly, for someone to come save them. It wasn't clear why they weren't walking out. Could it be that there was a line of brave national guardsmen with machine guns ready, barring their way? Or had they simply been ordered to wait, with promises of imminent rescue? They were nearly all black. It reminded me a bit of the old slavery justification that "they're simple people. If it wasn't for us takin' care of them and puttin' them to work, they'd never be able to fend for themselves. We're doing them a favor, really, by keepin' them."

I saw the beginning of a story about a woman. White. She was about to describe how she raised her husband's gun and just had to fire one shot to scare off a looter and . . .

. . .And then I turned you off. Sorry I didn't watch long enough to learn if the easily frightened and (I infer) unarmed looter was black

Do you get it? White folks "find" cases of food and water. Black folks "loot." White folks take action to solve their problems. Black folks die like cattle if the guv'mint don't help.

Get it yet?

Quite some time ago I quit watching NBC (though my wife watches and I don't stop her.) Thanks for reminding me why. I shouldn't need to watch NBC news again

Jamie Miller
San Jose, CA