Did nonstop coverage of hurricane Irene save lives?

Hurricane Irene never reached above a Category 3 hurricane as it moved up the eastern seaboard. But media coverage of the storm easily reached Category 5 proportions.

The situation is complicated, say disaster experts, meteorologists, and media pundits. For every excess, there are examples of lives saved and property protected. To media critic Tom Cooper, weather emergencies are one topic where media excesses are acceptable, even welcome. But former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh says the coverage went too far, and this has its own consequences. "This far outstrips any coverage of a much more devastating hurricane, namely Katrina," he says. "The official response to that hurricane may have been bad, but the media coverage was not.”