-----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On > Behalf Of John D. Giorgis > Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 8:06 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Scouted: CNN's Brown played golf through shuttle story > > At 04:10 PM 2/5/2003 -0600 Dan Minette wrote: > <snip> > > Ok - allow me to reiterate my most salient point on this topic, which > somehow got snipped in your reply > > The Gulf War was *news*, the shuttle story at 2pm on Saturday, when Brown > would have arrived, was *not*. > > Brown is paid to report *news* not a shuttle accident. >
I must heartily disagree. The shuttle accident was clearly news. Let's review (forgive me for stating the obvious): * United States Space Shuttle burns up in atmosphere 15 minutes before landing. Within 15 minutes of the accident, most major networks are showing footage of the shuttle disintegrating on its fall to Earth. * Shuttle is fully owned and operated by a US Federal Agency. * Without exception, all shuttle launches and landings are normally covered as a news event by at least one major news agency. * Seven astronauts are incinerated, including an Israeli soldier and an American citizen born in India, both of whom were hailed as heroes in their respective countries. (My wife was in Israel during the launch. The media there was totally flooded with stories about Ilon Ramon. I have a friend who was in New Delhi during the launch. She said the media covered it pretty thoroughly.) Accident therefore has international interest and affects the populations of at least two other countries. * Possibly toxic debris is scattered across most of central Texas. * Thousands are warned by road signs, electronic and print media and breaking news reports to avoid contact with and report sightings to local authorities * Accident highlights possibly severe problems within a Federal Agency relating to possible budget mismanagement, mild and severe safety issues and policies. Accident also highlights reports that NASA execs may have ignored reports that pointed out flaws in shuttle design and NASA policy which may have predicted the incident. * Accident sheds international and domestic doubt on our ability as a nation to participate in International Space Station project. * Accident causes sonic booms at least as far away as Amarillo, Texas. (I have family there... they said they heard the boom and felt their windows rattle.) * President Bush gives a live speech to the nation regarding the accident, giving what is arguably one of the top two most moving speeches of his entire career. * President Bush reiterates on national television (a speech that was probably broadcast globally, btw) that US policy will not change with regard to space travel. There are probably more examples. Why don't you think that all of this should be considered news? Jon _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
