Shep Smith On Katrina: “Every Level Failed And Everybody Lied To Us”

video

by Steve Krakauer | 11:10 am, August 27th, 2010

» 33 comments

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was the TV news representative on a panel yesterday about Hurricane Katrina, from the Newseum in Washington D.C.

He reflected on the story five years later – the coverage and who was responsible.

“We realized, this was a big deal,” he said. “This is why we got into this business in the first place, to inform…it was a very heady thing to know the government was getting information from you.”

Shep, who produced some of the most memorable and emotional reporting from the region five years ago, is no less emotional five years later. “Every level failed and everybody lied to us,” he said.

Also, the hard news anchor rarely delves into any sort of opinion, but when you cover the story with such intensity, it’s hard not to have a take. “Hurricane Katrina was a government failure,” Smith said.

Also on the panel were Jim Amoss, editor of the Times-Picayune and Stan Tiner, executive editor of The Sun Herald.

Here’s some of Shep’s portions of the Newseum panel yesterday (via C-SPAN):

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C-Span, fnc, fox news, Hurrican Katrina, Newseum, Shep Smith, shepard smith

paulmdoro

Speaking of Katrina:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27racial.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=us
Constantly

yeah state and local govt fail then, dump it in the feds lap is pure genius.
timzank

paulmdoro said:
Speaking of Katrina: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27racial.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=us

Well, they’ve had (the “victims”) 5 years to get their stories “honed” now haven’t they.
paulmdoro

timzank said:
Well, they’ve had (the “victims”) 5 years to get their stories “honed” now haven’t they.

Oh right they are all lying. How convenient for you to believe that. Cynical much?
timzank

Constantly said:
yeah state and local govt fail then, dump it in the feds lap is pure genius.

This is my analogy, using a bus full of people as the metaphor for the city full of people: Mayor Nagin basically parked a bus on the railroad tracks. Every day for a week the train company called and said next tuesday a train is coming through so make sure the tracks are clear. He just waited until after the train came through to try and move the bus, then when chaos ensued, blamed whitey and the entire federal government for his (and Landrieus) own stupidity….
timzank

paulmdoro said:
Oh right they are all lying. How convenient for you to believe that. Cynical much?

I’m not saying they are all lying but I’ll guaruntee you the stories will be embellished big time and there will be some outright made up shit.
Constantly

yup tim, i remember blanco blocking the feds at every step.
paulmdoro

Yes cause everyone is saying only “whitey” is at fault here. Glad you don’t ever over-simplify and distort.
writer

Nagin didn’t say he blamed ‘whitey’. He just said he wanted to keep New Orleans a ‘chocolate’ city. I always thought that was Hershey, PA.
Constantly

paul shut the fuck up we’ve already proven i’ve taken shits with more intelligence than you
murf

If only Bobby Jindal was governor .
paulmdoro

writer said:
Nagin didn’t say he blamed ‘whitey’. He just said he wanted to keep New Orleans a ‘chocolate’ city. I always thought that was Hershey, PA.

I’ve been to Hershey. Cool place.

Nagin was not a very good mayor. No doubt about it.
paulmdoro

Constantly said:
paul shut the fuck up we’ve already proven i’ve taken shits with more intelligence than you

Spoken like someone whose IQ if off the charts! Obviously constantly is synonymous with intelligence!
Constantly

paulmdoro said:
Spoken like someone whose IQ if off the charts! Obviously constantly is synonymous with intelligence!

the fact you answered that just proved my point
paulmdoro

Constantly said:
the fact you answered that just proved my point

Whatever you say man. Obviously I hold your opinions in very high regard. People who repeatedly swear and use juvenile insults are typically considered intelligent and reasonable right?
Constantly

i swear, so fucking what? besides, i dont think describing liberals as pussies is juvenile, they ARE pussies.
paulmdoro

Constantly said:
i swear, so fucking what? besides, i dont think describing liberals as pussies is juvenile, they ARE pussies.

Speaking of proving points…..
Constantly

you didnt prove shit.
paulmdoro

Constantly said:
you didnt prove shit.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
Cubby

Paul, that article is chilling. I have a friend who was doing voluenteer work in the area following the flood and he told be that Blackwater troops were indiscriminately threatening and roughing up people on the streets. It must have been a very scary time. As if the flood wasn’t enough, sometimes tough times bring out the ugliest things in people.
CosmosDan

timzank said:
This is my analogy, using a bus full of people as the metaphor for the city full of people: Mayor Nagin basically parked a bus on the railroad tracks. Every day for a week the train company called and said next tuesday a train is coming through so make sure the tracks are clear. He just waited until after the train came through to try and move the bus, then when chaos ensued, blamed whitey and the entire federal government for his (and Landrieus) own stupidity….

Could you please explain this? What do the tracks represent? What were the alternatives? Shep strikes me as a serious honest newsman. It was a national disaster right? One that we had a specific agency made for responding to correct? We had an unqualified man in charge of that agency right? I’m not claiming the state didn’t do things wrong as well but are the Feds blameless?
Brian Williams also has a special coming out. He said he went to New Orleans after Katrina shortly after returning from Iraq. He couldn’t understand why supplies , water, food, medical, were so available in Iraq but we couldn’t manage it in our own country.
CosmosDan

Cubby said:
Paul, that article is chilling. I have a friend who was doing voluenteer work in the area following the flood and he told be that Blackwater troops were indiscriminately threatening and roughing up people on the streets. It must have been a very scary time. As if the flood wasn’t enough, sometimes tough times bring out the ugliest things in people.

I couldn’t believe we had mercenaries being paid to patrol American streets. I can’t believe they got a new contract for Iraq. {but that’s a different discussion}
The Royal Court Jester

Paulmdoro often speaks with common sense
He honestly means no offense
He sounds rather intelligent
Reading equals time well spent
But then sometimes he has no defense
Nachi

“But you’re doing a heckuva job, Brownie! Bring it on! Mishun complushed!”
libra blue

Although Anderson got a lot of credit for his coverage of Katrina, and he did deserve it, Shep did a wonderful job as well, but, in my opinion, he didn’t get the credit he deserved. Another thing is that unlike Anderson, who told USA Weekend that he regretted “tearing up” during his coverage of Katrina, Shep does not regret his emotional coverage of this horrific event and that makes him a better man.

Last night on 360 Anderson mentioned that good old Ray “chocolate city” Nagin is opening up a business that includes “disaster recovery advice and consulting.” Yes, the guy who failed to declare a mandatory evacuation of NOLA, among other things, until 20 hours before the storm, is offering his “expert” advice on the subject.

The msm challenged every government official but Nagin about their failures and incompetence during the aftermath of Katrina so it’s no wonder he thinks that he is an expert.
Socrates69

“Constantly says:
August 27, 2010 at 12:17 pm (Quote)
0 0
i swear, so fucking what? besides, i dont think describing liberals as pussies is juvenile, they ARE pussies.”

This my favorite blanket statement, which I think I’ve seen here before. Could you please define liberals and please define Pussies?
CosmosDan

I saw Pussies defined on another web site. It said, adults only. Is that what you mean? ;}
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

Poor Shep, everybody lied did they. Yes and so did Shep Smith and all of the media. The truth is here………………………………….http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0905/0905evac.htm
Constantly

Socrates69 said:
“Constantly says:
August 27, 2010 at 12:17 pm (Quote)
0 0
i swear, so fucking what? besides, i dont think describing liberals as pussies is juvenile, they ARE pussies.”

This my favorite blanket statement, which I think I’ve seen here before. Could you please define liberals and please define Pussies?

sure, these little maggots are all sensitive and in touch with their inner vagina. they wear dress socks with their faggy birkenstocks. they cry for the cows and chickens so they eat tofu like a pussy. they cry about not getting a promotion cuz they fail at work, so they join a union. all the big meanies are against them so they need the government to protect their asses…

shall i continue?
NeoKong

What I remember most about Shep Smith was the night of Katrina.
He was on a Bourbon St. balcony with his hat on backwards and appeared to be a little drunk as he gave his report.
He looked smashed.
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

Shep seems to be trying to get a job at NBC.
Sunnyr

gordonbloyershow :

“Shep seems to be trying to get a job at NBC”.
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Dang! I hope he succeeds! He would fit in perfectly with the rest of the nutballs at NBC and MESSNBC!

Prayin’ for ya, Shep!
jk76

CONSTANTLY you are my hero, love that shit

There’s no telling what will happen when society ceases as people know it. You saw people looting all kinds of shit in Katrina like TVs and other electronics and non-survival stuff just to steal. That’s what happens. If it gets more desperate it gets worse.

Failure of local and state governments is evident. They think they are there just to manage some state monies and their friends and shit. BOOM something bad. It’s incompetence and is never called out. It becomes OH WISE AND MAJESTIC FEDERAL GUBMENT COME SAVE US WITH ALL YOUR EXTRA PEOPLE AND MONEY AND CONFUSION.

The article was full on ‘whitey built these levees 40 fuckin years ago, they should be perfect forever, and they failed only for the black folk cause those levees were racist and then the racism that is always there became more racist because the racists were racist about racism’

Hey I heard there’s another city you can move to that is even LOWER than New Orleans under sea level