Katrina Spawned Plague of Misinformation

Much of what was reported as fact by government officials and the media during the chaotic first week after Hurricane Katrina turned out to be fiction. John Hinderaker, co-author of the widely read conservative weblog Power Line, and other media watchers say the media need to take a hard look at their behavior. “When the mayor said there might be 10,000 bodies, he was distraught, he was in the midst of a crisis,” says Hinderaker. “What was shocking was that news organizations would just pick it up and keep repeating it when there'd really been no basis for it.” Experts in emergency management and communications say the real problem was a collapse of conventional communications systems, like phone systems. Those who had good information had no way of transmitting it. They say it's time to create a system that allows facts to be conveyed more quickly to decision-makers. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., have introduced legislation that would give telecommunications companies financial incentives to build crisis information systems into their Internet and cellphone networks. That way, information could be sent to multiple battery-powered laptops and cellphones via e-mails and text messages. Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, advocates designating a part of the wireless Internet spectrum known as Wi-Fi to a new emergency broadcast network. “Wi-Fi networks can be run on batteries in times of crisis,” Hundt says. “You can float the antennas on boats. They can be dropped on to rooftops by helicopters,” he says. “And laptops run by batteries too. There are darn few TV sets out there running on batteries.” Hundt also advocates equipping all police, fire and other emergency personnel with Wi-Fi-based, handheld communication devices.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Mark Memmott]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20051011/a_wrong11.art.htm