Is the Media being critical enough?

Scott McLellan today suggested that the buck stops with President Bush, inferring that he is to be held responsible for what “went wrong and what went right.” Additionally, Gen Richard Myers suggested that most papers on Tuesday said something to the extent of “New Orleans dodged a bullet,” when in fact, many blogs prove otherwise, as can be seen on the plethora of front pages crying, “devastation… catastrophe, etc” at Newseum

Its easy for bloggers and anyone in the media to point out these inaccuracies, but how can we effectively criticize without partaking in a silly blame game?

The Katrina issue revolves primarily around race and how the federal government chooses to be ignorant of those who are poor. Its not a black / white thing, its a rich/poor thing. Right Barbara Bush? Right, 14-year old Jamaican observer?
Several musings over the weekend regarding the media’s general outrage and uprising in the face of bureaucratic ignorance and indifference. Howard Kurtz writes in the Washington Post that “Journalism seems to have recovered its reason for being.”

From situations worsening…. to outrage at the response… The New York Times on the pendulum of reporting the disaster.

Still, Ariana Huffington begs the Times to “stop enabling the White House Blame game!

Steve Zunes, of “Foreign Policy in Focus,” hopes to read more criticism tying the Katrina response to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Christopher Hitchens thinks otherwise in Slate.

Stories in America is with me when I wonder: Shouldn’t other members of the media be advocating the impact poverty and race has had on the Katrina situation? Oprah exposes quite a bit of what is really happening her show. catch the video.

Kanye West goes off – and is censored on the West Coast!

Kanye says “Bush doesn’t care about black people” aside Mike Meyers in this segment on NBC’s Katrina fundraising extravaganza. But they censored him on the later West Coast broadcasts! And he’s the one who just last week called for all rappers to stop criticizing gays.

Nothing wrong with standing up for what’s right, but where are the real voices who can step on what’s wrong and bring more money (read: prospect for change) to the cause?

Most compelling Hurricane related websites

Wikipedia is the most concentrated constantly evolving resource on Katrina and her aftermath. They also have a database of live streaming audio and video from the area.

I had a spat of addictively refreshing the well administered NOLA call for help blog

The Hurricane is captured live on video in this stunningly graphic and dramatic video that I’ve only seen on WLBT, Jackson Mississippi’s NBC affiliate.

A good database of Hurricane Katrina related links is at the Online Journalism Review.

Other good blogging and commentary has been seen at AMERICAblog, Crooks and Liars, MediaBistro, and Technorati will hook you up with about anything.