Paging ABC, CBS and NBC

Where on earth are Brian Williams, Bob Schieffer, and Ted Koppel? One of America's largest cities has been decimated, New Orleans must be evacuated, and the mayor has suggested the death toll there may run into the thousands, yet networks are content this afternoon running soap operas and allowing local affiliates to air syndicated nonsense like "Judge Joe Brown"?

Katrina has morphed into one of this country's worst natural disasters, spreading untold destruction and hardship. The networks need to pull the plug on business-as-usual, and start doing some damn reporting. This story deserves more than 22 minutes a night on the evening news. I realize cable outlets are all over the story, and providing a real service. But there are tens of millions of Americans who don't get cable. And besides, if that let-cable-do-it argument held, than the networks could send their news divisions' home, permanently.

Katrina is in many ways an unprecedented American catastrophe that appears to be getting worse by the day. That's news. Get to work ABC, CBS and NBC.