Media coverage of the blackout deserves a C+ at best...
Major problems include completely ignoring other major cities except New York for hours. (In actuality it's cities such as Cleveland and Detroit who will face the most problems, not New Yorkers.)
Only ABC had a resonable explanation for what caused the blackout. It was delivered at around 5:45pm cst by Richard Clarke. Every other network (at the time of me writing this) has completely ignored his software theory and continue to claim unbelievable causes such as "lightning" and "a fire at a transformer". Let's be real. (Does anyone (beside journalists)really think that knocking out 1 transformer will knock out power in the entire NE cooridor?)
The lack of early investigative reporting was disheartening but expected. We did get stories about cash registers not working and folks buying ice cream, though. Plus Jon Stossell said the event was 'inspiring'. WTF?
winners:
The Ohio Lt. Governor--Lot's of voicetime and some facetime as folks began to realize the real story wasn't in New York. Expect to see her more tommorow.
Richard Clarke- People will think the Bush Administration was stupid to let him go.
Ted Koppel- Instead of using the irritating trait of answering questions for guests (Connie Chung had that down to a science) he would actually let them talk. He handled the crisis well.
Bill O'Reilly- Because he had the sense to say that the Mayor of New York should tell people to stay home on Friday. I'm sure other mayors took his advice.
The other story that mattered... Rap mogul Suge Knight, currently serving 10 months in an L.A. jail for a parole violation, isn't just making license plates. Knight's label will reportedly release another compilation from hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, Death Row Presents 2Pac Nu-Mixx Klazzics, Oct. 7 on Death Row/Koch Records, with 10 tracks remixed by the label’s production team, Tha Row Hitters.
The first single, "Life Goes On," ships to radio on Sept. 9. Resurrection, a documentary on the late rap star, who was shot down by unknown assailants in 1996 in Las Vegas while Knight drove him in his car, hits theaters this November.
Why did I decide to link these two seemingly unrelated stories? Because that's what Keith Olbermann would do when he isn't telling us the number one story of the night involves strippers.
"Good Luck and Good Night."