# Katrina - 30 Days Later

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 7, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179 "2005-10-07T13:40:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![partlycloudy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/partlycloudy/32/3114_2.png) [@partlycloudy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partlycloudy)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/21 "2005-10-10T00:00:27Z")

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It’s front page news [somewhere](http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/100905/1009PAGEA01.pdf). [Every](http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/100805/1008PAGEA01.pdf)[single](http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/100705/1007PAGEA01.pdf)[day](http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/100605/1006PAGEA01.pdf) . Maybe it’s not such a big deal to other people around the country anymore, but the effect lingers on, whether they realize it or not. (speaking only about the US here)

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**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/22 "2005-10-10T18:39:44Z")

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> [@Harborwolf](#):
>
> Picked the words but missed the point. Man you’re adorable.
> 
> The point I was getting at, since you seemed to have missed it, was that the medias “outrage” would last as long as the publics attention span did. As I said in my earlier post, Katrina is still in the news but it isn’t the main issue. The medias testicles have disappeared again like I said they would. Do you deny this, or are you going to keep being cute?

You said this-- Bolding mine–

> [@](#):
>
> I’m not happy about it, but it’s going to happen. **All it takes is one story to knock the hurricane off of the top.** It could be a new terrorist attack, or a high number of american deaths in Iraq, or a new supreme court justice nomination/Roberts confirmation hearing. After that it’s a long sad slide off the radar. There will be local stories from the areas housing the displaced for a good deal of time, but they’ll fade off of the front page just the same.
> 
> **I’ll be glad to give you a major “You were right” if it doesn’t. I’ll do so very happily. I’m just very cynical when it comes to the media and the american attention span**.

As I said, there were 333 discrete stories about Katrina. It headlined NPR. Yesterday there was an hour long story on NPR. It was the lead in my local paper’s national news section. Your dismissive countdown to the missing white woman was unfair. There has been no “long slide off the radar”, and for you to pretend otherwise is dishonest.

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**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/23 "2005-10-10T22:13:07Z")

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> [@Contrapuntal](#):
>
> You said this-- Bolding mine-- As I said, there were 333 discrete stories about Katrina. It headlined NPR. Yesterday there was an hour long story on NPR. It was the lead in my local paper’s national news section. Your dismissive countdown to the missing white woman was unfair. There has been no “long slide off the radar”, and for you to pretend otherwise is dishonest.

Yep, 333 discrete stories. Not exactly lead material then. It was the lead in your local papers national news section. Still not lead material and I covered the local papers didn’t I? NPR kicks ass, and is a far different beast from the “outraged” media ya’ll were referring to in the other thread. Katrina wasn’t the lead off on the Today show this morning. In fact, it got bumped off the opening by a nine year old swimming from Alcatraz.

30 days later and Katrina is no longer the top story. It no longer generates outrage from the media. I still stand by my statement. Call me dishonest if you want. Go nuts and scream it from the rooftops if it makes you happy.

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**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/24 "2005-10-10T23:04:06Z")

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> [@Harborwolf](#):
>
> Yep, 333 discrete stories. Not exactly lead material then.

I’m not sure I follow your logic. Since there are hundreds of stories from all over the country the topic does **not** have national attention?

> [@Harborwolf](#):
>
> Man you’re adorable.
> 
> Do you deny this, or are you going to keep being cute?
> 
> Go nuts and scream it from the rooftops if it makes you happy.

I have no idea what I have done to deserve your snide comments in this thread. Care to fill me in?

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**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/25 "2005-10-10T23:12:20Z")

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As I said earlier, once the story is off the front page, it starts it’s slow inevitable slide off the radar. 333 discrete stories means off the front page. Leading the national section means it ain’t a headline anymore. The rest? Long slide off the radar. I do not recall saying that it would disappear entirely in thirty days. Apparently that was your idea. My point was that it would fade from the national spotlight.

As for the snippy remarks, I apologize. It’s been along and cranky week for me.

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**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/katrina-30-days-later/325179/26 "2005-10-10T23:16:13Z")

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> [@Harborwolf](#):
>
> As for the snippy remarks, I apologize.

Accepted, with pleasure.

> [@Harborwolf](#):
>
> It’s been along and cranky week for me.

Already? 🙂 Man, I’m sorry to hear that.

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