First, Katherine Q. Seelye's long story on the two newspapers in the running for Katrina-related Pulitzers, which introduces the subject this way:
While much of the country has moved on from coverage of Katrina, considered the largest natural disaster in modern American history...
Considered that, that is, by those who weren't paying attention when the Army Corps of Engineers took the blame last Wednesday for design and construction errors that caused the breach in the 17th St. Canal floodwall. For the rest of us who have been paying attention, what happened in New Orleans, unlike what happened in Mississippi, has long since been described as a "man-made disaster." The very paper Ms Seelye was writing about, the Times Picayune, has quoted nationally known forensic engineering consultants saying that very thing on numerous occasions.
Then there's Laurie Flynn's story on San Francisco's plan for municipal Wi-Fi service. It says:
Dozens of other cities have various wireless networks under development or in the planning stages, including Chicago, Boston and Austin, Tex.
It forgets to say: And one city, New Orleans, has had free municipal wi-fi service in operation since the beginning of this year.
Would The Times brook such global ignorance in reporters covering New York City?
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