Grumpy Editor

Obama cites rising seas --- as rivers overflow in Texas

 

When President Barack Obama visited the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Thursday, he declared, "When you combine stronger storms with rising seas, that's a recipe for more devastating floods," while 900 miles to the west, days of heavy precipitation devastated areas of Texas stemming from overflowing rain-swollen rivers --- with no link to rising seas, observed Grumpy Editor. 

The president, who so far has bypassed an on-scene look at severely flooded Texas and Oklahoma areas, continued his global warming/climate change warnings. 

A week earlier, in a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn., Obama envisioned climate change aggravating poverty and social tensions that can fuel instability and foster terrorist activity and other violence. "Climate change impacts every country on the planet," he told the cadets.

In Miami, with government meteorologists close by, Obama pointed out, "The best climate scientists in the world are telling us that extreme weather events like hurricanes are likely to become more powerful." 

Yet he apparently wasn’t cued in on a day-earlier announcement by government weather forecasters who assured the Atlantic hurricane season --- which runs today to Nov. 30 --- will be less active this year due to cooler seas and a strong El Nino effect. 

The below-normal forecast called for six to 11 tropical storms with three to six reaching hurricane status.

The U.S. coast has not been hit by a major hurricane since 2005.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE...

 

Alarm bells delayed.  The “Taliban Five” Guantanamo inmates, swapped a year ago for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, originally slated to roam free today from Qatar, will remain confined there under a weekend agreement that temporarily extends their ban on travel while discussions between Qatar, the United States and Afghanistan continue for a long-term solution.  Bergdahl was charged with desertion in March and could face a life sentence…Round up the newsroom.  In connection with the indictment of Dennis Hastert, a former House speaker, late in the week:  The Washington Post gathered a baseball team-size nine reporters for the story.  That compared with The Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal each assigning three…A Rasmussen Reports survey found 61 percent of likely U.S. voters now do not trust the political news they are getting, a 16-point jump from last October…In closing the acquisition of U-T San Diego, Chicago-based Tribune Publishing Co., restored the newspaper’s former name, San Diego Union-Tribune --- and promptly laid off nearly a third of its 600 employees, most in printing and delivery operations…Over the past decade, weekday newspaper circulation declined 17 percent and ad revenue dropped more than 50 percent, noted the Washington Examiner, adding in 2014 alone, three different media companies decided to spin off more than 100 newspaper properties…The PennySaver, an advertising sheet distributed in Southern California for decades, ceased operations without warning…How headlines differed on same story:  Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warns China on South China Sea island-building (Los Angeles Times).  Ash Carter Talks Tough on China, But It's Just Talk (Bloomberg)…Government squeeze on coal output continues.  Murray Energy Corp., third largest U.S. coal producer, laid off around 1,800 workers, representing about 21 percent of its work force…With weak economic growth and slow consumer spending, the Federal Reserve now is likely to raise benchmark interest rates in September…Memorial Day weekend’s total box office, at an estimated $190 million, was the lowest since 2001.  The film industry regarded Disney’s “Tomorrowland” as a big disappointment.  But things improved over the past weekend with "San Andreas" shaking up the North American take with $53.2 million.  The tally also uncovered 70 percent of ticket buyers were 25 years old or more.  (Which triggers a question:  How was the 25+ number determined?  Did everyone have to show photo ID at the box office, with information fed into a computer?)…Bob Schieffer, with CBS News since 1969, signed off as Face the Nation moderator yesterday after 24 years with the Sunday public affairs program.  He has the distinction of covering all four of Washington’s key assignments:  White House, Pentagon, State Department and Congress.

 

Edgy Washington, D.C. police, who blew up a harmless pressure cooker found in an unattended vehicle parked near the Capitol, got an apology from its owner, a food truck operator, who said the utensil was used for cooking rice.

U.S.’s $2 billion clean air package story mostly buried

With most editors focused on a flurry of Washington developments plus problems connected with a tropical storm and expanding wildfires, many missed a $2 billion clean energy package that the U.S. announced during a three-day United Nations conference in Rio de Janeiro attended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Editors who drive to work dodging growing roadway potholes, not fixed because of lack of funds, should be concerned on $2 billion more going in the form of grants, loans and loan guarantees for programs to advance the adoption of clean energy solutions in developing countries. 

"In the 21st century, the only viable development is sustainable development,” said Clinton to delegates from 192 nations.  “The only way to deliver lasting progress for everyone is by preserving our resources and protecting our common environment." 

Earlier, a State Department spokesperson mentioned, “The UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative represents an important opportunity for the international community to address issues critical to the future of sustainable development, energy access and economic growth.

“Expanding the use of efficient and clean energy technologies is a priority of the Obama Administration, domestically and internationally, and increasing energy access is a central challenge facing the world.”

With all this going on in Brazil, lacking in news reports from current heavy flooding from a tropical storm in Florida and major wildfires in several states, including Colorado, affecting many thousands of residents, was any mention of financial aid including assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

 

As TV news eyes ratings, Hurricane Irene’s eye fizzles

In going with wall-to-wall coverage of Hurricane Irene over the weekend, television cable news channels --- encouraged by forecasts --- on Friday night initially figured a monster storm would raise havoc on the East Coast and their on-scene reporters would give an historic play by play, notes Grumpy Editor.  ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and CNN all had their top talent on camera during the weekend.

Wind-blown reporters standing (by tradition) in the rain, often with crashing surf as backdrops, did their jobs.  But fizzling Irene, downgraded to a tropical storm before reaching New York, let them down.

With no catastrophe to report, especially in the New York City area --- where authorities shut down airports and transit operations ahead of the storm --- the main focus became flooded streets, power outages and downed trees.

Disappointment in the tone of reporting came Sunday morning, as one network reporter tried to keep news directors’ spirits up (and viewers glued to TV sets) by cautioning, “There still is concern here.”

One TV meteorologist, mid-day Sunday, confessed Irene would be remembered “not as a wind storm, but as a flooding storm.”

An early indication of possible doom came five days earlier when an Associated Press story warned, “Forecasters say the hurricane could grow to a monstrous Category 4 storm with winds of more than 131 m.p.h. before it’s predicted to come ashore this weekend on the U.S. mainland.”

After Irene reached the eastern fringes of North Carolina, a parade of state and federal officials issued dire warnings and told residents to evacuate.  President Barack Obama made two appearances on national television.

“Breaking news” banners peppered TV screens.

Grumpy Editor noticed several TV appearances of Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  That contrasted with virtually no media mention of FEMA earlier this year when extensive floods for days smacked the U.S. along the Mississippi River.

With Irene fading and sunshine appearing yesterday morning, a TV newsman went into detailed coverage of a Long Island hotel parking lot under 18 inches of water.

The headline on Howard Kurtz’s media blog for The Daily Beast yesterday summed up the meteorological event with:  A Hurricane of Hype.

Across the Atlantic in London, a Daily Telegraph headline over a comprehensive storm story read:  Perfect Storm of Hype:  Politicians, the media and the Hurricane Irene apocalypse that never was.

 

KXMC, in flooded Minot, N.D., keeps residents informed

Minot, N.D., CBS-TV affiliate KXMC, gets kudos for its real-time information, including status of homes in the flooded area, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Its Web site also contains information on the flood, road conditions plus community announcements.  

The Souris River, which peaked Sunday at levels not seen in more than a century, is slowly receding in Minot, but remains above flood stage. 

About 4,000 homes are flooded, and a quarter of the town's 40,000 residents are displaced. 

The Channel 13 station this week has been airing aerial TV footage shot from military helicopters.  Homeowners watch in hopes of getting a reading on the status of their properties. 

KXMC's news operation during the flood is mainly an Olson family affair. 

Perry Olson is the station’s morning anchor.  His father, Jim, also news director, takes over in the afternoon as Perry’s younger brother, Tim, assists in the control room and sister, Carolyn, handles newsroom telephones. 

The station’s Web site continues to remind residents to boil water, emphasizing “do not consume tap water or use it for tasks like washing dishes, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food, formula, ice, etc.” 

KXMC, which serves the northern half of western North Dakota, was the first TV station in the state, going on the air in 1953 as KCJB.

 

Forced flooding in Louisiana seen spurring heated debate

With a large section of Louisiana under water after a spillway was intentionally opened --- affecting thousands of homes, businesses, pastures and farmland --- look for heating discussions soon on natural vs. man-made flooding, predicts Grumpy Editor.

That aspect has not yet crossed minds of major media editors.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, declaring “public safety is our No. 1 priority,” opened the Morganza (Louisiana) Spillway May 14, sending torrents of water --- at 125,000 cubic feet per second  --- flowing southward into the Atchafalaya River basin.

Engineers said the diversion was to forestall potentially catastrophic damage farther downstream.

Posted on the National Flood Insurance Program Web page:  “Floods are the No. 1 natural disaster in the United States.”

Some people with property now under water (especially those without flood insurance) in the days ahead will question the word “natural,” since the flow from Morganza was intentional.

Factors in flood risk, according to the government:  rainfall, river flow, tidal-surge data, topography, flood-control measures, and changes due to building and development.

No mention about forced release of water from a spillway.

Current flood damage already has revived a decades-old debate about  cost of rebuilding and compensating residents for the loss of homes and farms in high-risk areas. Some have been pushing for a harder look at regulations, saying initiatives like the National Flood Insurance Program need to be revised.

 

Are those live-TV stand-ups in water really necessary?

Television relishes live, on-scene stand-ups with reporters --- often including network anchors --- bracing themselves in hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires and, most recently, floodwaters, notes Grumpy Editor.

The same reporting can be done effectively and safely from a network studio or a close-by TV truck on dry ground with voiceovers describing latest footage.

Somehow, TV network news directors feel reporting staffs should get into the act when disasters strike.  That’s been going on for years.

Those standing-in-the-water live shots “make many reporters/anchors look amateurish and foolish,” declares print and broadcast veteran Barney McCoy, now an associate professor of journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“The stand-ups are gratuitous,” he adds. “They lack in good reason and reflect a creative deficit among many who do them.”

Stand-ups have been done so many times, he continues, “they’ve become cliché.”

This week’s live shots in chemical, waste contaminated, snake (and alligator) infested Mississippi River floodwaters could be hazardous to the health of the broadcasters --- while the microphone holders caution viewers to avoid those same hazards.

On barneymccoy.wordpress.com, McCoy’s blogging site listing reasons not to do such stand-ups, he shows a photo of sloshing Diane Sawyer, ABC News anchor in water up to her knees near Memphis, saying, “Stand in it and you can feel the pull, the rush.  You can see the water coming up.  You can see it rising as we speak.”

Gosh.  On live TV.