Disappointed Media

Disappointed?

CBSEveningNews 

by CBSNews

National Hurricane Center reporting that #HurricaneIrene is now a Tropical Storm; it crossed Coney Island at 8:45a ET with winds at 65 MPH

That's 10 mph lower than the minimum criteria for being labeled a hurricane.

CBSNews
by CBSNews
#Irene downgraded to Tropical Storm as it makes landfall in NYC; 4M homes without power along East Coast bit.ly/olIjdN

The bigger story than the 4 day hype about Irene is why four million people would lose power when a very minimal hurricane sweeps through from N Carolina to NY.

And let the sarcasm begin:

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
Tomorrow will be sunny - or as the Weather Channel says, "The sun will scorch the Earth with its savage fury." #irene

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz

If the Weather Channel loses any more credibility it will be Fox. #irene

 
BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
Years from now, we'll all remember where we were when Irene was supposed to hit but didn't. #irene

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
NYC returning to normal. Just saw a woman steal a taxi from a blind guy. #Irene

DavidShuster David Shuster
Little damage seen from Irene...except to the already awful credibility of most news orgs. 

Eugene_Robinson Eugene Robinson
Media covg of #Irene was self-fulfilling. If you gear all the way up for a Big Big Story, that's what you usually find.

RadioVegan Radio Vegan
Streakers have fun behind humorless Weather Channel reporter. huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/27/hur…

From a blog in the Daily Telegraph:

The truth is that the dire warning beforehand suited both politicians and journalists. Just as with the minor earthquake that shook the east coast last week causing no loss of life and virtually no damage, Irene became a huge story because it was where the media lived.

The media and politicians enjoy a symbiotic relationship during possible impending disasters. The resultant perfect storm of hype over Irene runs the risk of making Americans even more like to ignore warnings in the future.

Read more here.