Bring on the Lobotomy

It certainly was a slap-your-head, what-was-he-thinking-moment. FEMA decided to call a press conference and then held it without the press.

FEMA. Perhaps the acronym should stand for fabricated emergency manipulated amateurs. I thought I had seen it all, but a fake press conference with agency staff posing as reporters... Five, four, three, two, one -- you're on! Hurray for Hollywood.

When the Oakland Hills caught fire in 1991 I remember a photographer wanted to move a piece of smoking wood so he could light the background more dramatically. That is certainly not a cardinal sin, but it's better not to stage anything when it comes to reporting the news. Little compromises lead to big ones as we saw yesterday. And good God, how much drama does one country need? Thousands of homes lost, lives in ruins, palpable anguish. Remembering the Oakland Hills firestorm, my stomach ached for the victims of this one.

And call me old fashioned, but I want the FEMA fellow on the scene with a little schmutz on his face not perfectly coiffed like an air-brushed television anchor behind a podium. If he's on the scene, chances are he's more likely to have the empathy that should be a prerequisite for that job.

Now, having said that, let's cut the guy some slack. It's not as if it was George Bush telling us Iraq had nuclear weapons. It was the FEMA guy trying to avoid another shit storm.

I have seen many a capable person publicly lobotomized as they turn to Jell-o and their I.Q. drops to the ground during live interviews. It's not as easy as it looks. I imagine it was fear of the unknown that led to the deputy director's bad decision. Avoiding the "deer in the headlights" look is always good and the unknown is what usually causes that. Wouldn't we all want to know what the questions are going to be before we get them? Not knowing them and answering with sincerity, empathy and facts is what separates the girls from the women. My guess is the poor FEMA fellow just wanted to get home without having to wipe humiliation off his shoes. Remember, on live television saying one thing wrong can get your fired. A fake press conference was stupid all right, but we've certainly seen worse lately, so let's lower the bar for this guy. But first let's explain the rules.

News is not supposed to be staged. FEMA staff members had not been out covering the fires and they are not reporters. This is how it is supposed to work.

Inform the audience. Tell them everything you know. Public officials should always tell the truth without slant or spin. (I know that sounds terribly naïve these days.) If you don't want to get grilled by an angry mob of journalists, tell them what you know, and if you don't know the answer to the question, promise to get it. There's nothing wrong with saying you don't know. There is something wrong with not finding out. Be available all the time with updates. Give the press your phone numbers. Tell them to call you day or night. This was a national emergency. Sleep is out of the question anyway. Remember, good reporters are public servants. They have to get information to those who need it. And after 25 years reporting, I can tell you journalists love anyone who works hard and tells them the truth. You don't have to be an actor with perfect delivery -- just a caring conduit of information.

Comments

[Fez]

Why on earth would FEMA manufacture a press conference when, by all accounts, they were doing a reasonably good job on the San Diego fires? If the Federal Emergency Management Agency were functioning properly, they would have waited for actual press members to arrive. Why the 15-minute deadline? Sadly, the Bush Administration self-fulfilling prophecy ("Government is bad") is realized every day by the actual performance of this administration. FEMA is doing a bad job at something that should be done by the military. Too bad the military is otherwise occupied.

[JerseyBob]

Can we be intellectually honest about this?
This is a phrase spoken more than written; it is a diplomtic way of saying, can we both agree not to lie?. The staged FEMA news conference was not intellectually honest. It was something else. The FEMA spokesperson who orchestrated this fake news conference wasn't even playing softball, yes, Matthews comes to mind, when he took questions from employees who were heard to preface their questions with "Sir."

Answering tough questions can be difficult and a skilled spokesperson will know how to deflect or otherwise not answer particular questions. Ground rules are generally set and if not mutually agreeable, at least they are known.

McLuhan suggested that the medium is the message. Common understanding of this phrase would allow that the construct of the news conference, the medium, was not intellectually honest. The news conference was a high profile, public lie. Shameful.

This fraud begs a few questions? Did the Deputy Administrator conduct an end run around the Administrator to pull this off? Did the FEMA Administrator know that this event was to be staged and approve it? Is it shame on one or shame on two?

Yes, a federal Deputy Administrator heading up a bogus news conference. A FEMA Deputy to boot. A professional? It is at the same time insulting and comedic. Certainly, a resignation is called for. If it is not forthcoming, a letter of resignation can be written for the Deputy and placed in a folder. A notce of termination can be placed in another folder. Both folders and a pen can be given the Deputy. He can choose.

There is an ominous sense here of a large lack of common sense, of street smarts. Burnt toast slathered with ego. FEMA employees should be apoogized to because they are identified with this sham event. DHS's Chertoff and FEMA's Paulison must act responsibly and see that the Deputy leaves and that appropriate apologies are tendered. This is the kind of thing that needs to be done now or the event may fester.

[waiguoren]

Man alive! Jersey Bob.

It was a phoney-baloney buracratic stunt. So what else is new?

Talk about "a mind that multiplies the smallest matter".

[WilliePilgrim]

Ron Paul wants to get rid of FEMA? Think of what States and other similar regional authorities could do these days with the ability of computers to coordinate their efforts. The fact that our emergency management efforts are being coordinated by political appointees at the Federal level give me no warmth at all. Ron Paul...now that Obama's gone to bed with the evangelicals, Ron's lookin' pretty good.

[JScott]

'... remember a photographer wanted to move a piece of smoking wood so he could light the background more dramatically.'

Now they don't even have to do that, they just use adobe photoshop to do same, shocking thing is that end consumers/readers of the print media most of the time don't know an image has been manipulated.

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

Just an aside: The only presidential candidate who wants to eliminate FEMA is - tada! - Ron Paul.

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

The purpose of FEMA is NOT to help the US with their natural disasters. This is why they are doing such a crappy job at it: No resources, no time, no attention. It's not their mission.

FEMA has received billions in funding, and what are they spending it on? Find the answers and you'll have FEMA's mission: To manage the coming police state after Bush, Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton declares martial law.

Much FEMA funding has gone to - surprise! - Halliburton, to build "detention centers" all over the US. When pressed for reasons FEMA representatives say "they're for the illegal aliens." By now any thinking person should know right away what a big lie that is. If it were true FEMA would be amassing them at our Canadian and Mexican borders, but instead they're putting them everywhere in the US. Also, with NAFTA and NAU on the horizon the Bush Administration doesn't care about illegal aliens anyway, so why would FEMA build detention camps for them?

Some are labor camps, some are jails, and some look as though they may have been built for more insidious reasons (extermination?). Why would the US need a cremation oven that serves 3,000 people per day? Are they expecting something reeely bad to happen in the "Homeland?"

Google "concentration camps in the USA" or go to YouTube and use the same search string to see what I mean. Or just google "Beech Grove, IN" for that matter.

If after watching a few YouTube videos and reading the legislation re: "Domestic Terrorism" (that means you, political activists!) you don't want to vomit, well . . .

[Karen80]

Griffith again hits the nail on the head. Yes, Johnson's decision was foolish and short-sighted, but cut the guy some slack. I suspect, under tremendous pressure and scrutiny, Johnson wanted to be in complete control, in the driver's seat, lest FEMA appear as it really is: a fallible government agency (but, as Griffith notes, a little weariness and soot on his face could've worked to his and FEMA's advantage.)

[americanwhocares]

Karen80, never cut a loyal bushie any "slack". This is a Junta that has survived by lying all the time, please wake up.

[El]

LG, I agree with much of what you said. But as far as FEMA and the rationale behind staging a press conference, you are much too charitable and cutting them way too much slack.

[Maschine]

Fire tehm all. Everyone connected to that stunt should be sent packing. Whats it going to take for people to get serious.

[bullypulpit]

One of the more disturbing aspects of this story was the general public reaction. People seemed resigned to the point of acceptance. Yes, they said, another lie, another diversion, it's just typical of this administration. How awful, let's move on.

It's an outrageous affront to Journalism and communication, and yet few have seen fit to note this. Thanks for people like Ms Huffington and Ms Griffith. Good writing!

Ms Griffith, you are terribly missed from the 10:00 news here. The Bay Area is not the same.

[realitytrumpsbull]

FEMA got dimed out as FEBL, as of Katrina.
Blessing in disguise, though, when the next
hurricane hit Texas, all the people that had
been watching the news were ready to jump
up and do for themselves, disaster mainly averted. Maybe Chertoff didn't do anything,
but TV served the purpose of advanced town
crier...