Why Wasn't Brad Pitt Prepared?

You probably saw the quote right here--Brad Pitt was unprepared for the scale of devastation he saw as he toured New Orleans. Most Senators and Congressmen who are lured, persuaded or guilt-tripped by the Women of the Storm to make the visit say some version of the same thing. Given that no media can really do the disaster justice, isn't there a point where we have to ask, have American news outlets failed to tell in clear and compelling terms the major domestic news story of the last year?