Unfortunately, I was waiting for this report. I watched in recent days as “officials” in New Orleans disputed the reports of rapes in the Superdome during the disaster. I watched as media types and bloggers accepted these reports as weighted in truth, even though no one was questioning the people who had been in the dome, the eye witnesses, the women themselves.
A report from “Live From” on CNN today, just a few minutes ago, has blown all this to hell.
“Live From” has reported that there were at least 13 rapes in the superdome. I hope I have the numbers right. I caught the report flying through the house, so to speak. A nurse in Texas was interviewed. She treats victims of sexual assault. She said more and more women who experiened sexual assault in the Superdome are coming forward, one just this week.
Here is the lesson here: as citizen bloggers, citizen journalist, whatever you want to call what it is we do with our computer keyboards, we have to question “official” reports, especially when eye witnesses are not being consulted.
It was obvious to me that there was an attempt to downplay the anarchy, and the results of the breakdown in civilization, so that local and state officials didn’t look as bad as they should look.
Just this week, there was a letter to the Times Picayune in New Orleans from family members of an elderly gentleman who was beaten when he arrived at the Superdome hoping for evacuation. All of his personal possessions that he had brought with him were stolen.
Sorry that I don’t have a link to the transcript of the CNN report. I’ll keep looking for it though, and post it when I get it. I’m sure the report will be re-aired today. That is what CNN does, recycle reports all day long, so look for it if you want to see it.
