The Media Lied, People Died

How many deaths can be laid at the feet of the Mainstream Press? We know that at least 15 deaths resulted from Newsweak's bogus story about Koran desecration. Now, we learn that others likely died as a direct consequence of lazy, inaccurate and exaggerated news coverage of Katrina's aftermath.

Five weeks after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans, some local, state and federal officials have come to believe that exaggerations of mayhem by officials and rumors repeated uncritically in the news media helped slow the response to the disaster and tarnish the image of many of its victims.

Claims of widespread looting, gunfire directed at helicopters and rescuers, homicides, and rapes, including those of "babies" at the Louisiana Superdome, frequently turned out to be overblown, if not completely untrue, officials now say.