FEMA holds a "News" conference

[Civil War Man]

LA Times

WASHINGTON — No one had any hard questions for the deputy administrator of FEMA, an agency deeply tarnished by its delayed action after Hurricane Katrina, when he held a news conference Tuesday to talk about the California wildfires.

"Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?" someone asked.

Indeed, the deputy administrator was. "I am very happy with FEMA's response so far," responded Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr.

The news conference looked like a success in the Bush administration's effort this week to demonstrate it could respond competently to a disaster.

On Friday, however, the agency admitted that the softball questions were posed by FEMA employees, not reporters.

The White House was not happy with FEMA's response.

"It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House," said Press Secretary Dana Perino, mentioning three times that it was an "error in judgment." "It's not something I would have condoned, and they, I'm sure, will not do it again."

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, was less happy.

"This is inexcusable and offensive, and stunts like this will not be tolerated or repeated," said spokeswoman Laura Keehner. "It was a lapse of judgment, and we find it offensive, and it won't happen again."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency apologized for the event, but protested that it was not intended to deceive. FEMA announced the news conference with 15 minutes' notice and provided an 800 number for reporters, but it was not set up to take questions. When no reporters showed up, FEMA provided stand-ins to ask questions and a video feed. Several channels broadcast parts of the event live.

"FEMA's goal is to get information out as soon as possible, and in trying to do so we made an error in judgment," Johnson acknowledged in a statement. "Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received. We are reviewing our press procedures and will make the changes necessary to ensure that all of our communications are straightforward and transparent."

Perino also said that the agency was just trying to provide information: "There were so many questions pouring in. It was just a bad way to handle it, and they know that."

FEMA's "error in judgment" comes just more than two years after its agonizingly slow-motion response to thousands of displaced New Orleans residents who waited for help in dreadful conditions at the Superdome. Michael D. Brown, the agency's head, resigned under fire after he became an embarrassment to President Bush, who appeared out of touch when he praised Brown with the memorable comment: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Johnson, a retired Coast Guard officer who came to FEMA after the 2005 hurricane, started the briefing Tuesday with a brief statement and took six questions from FEMA employees. On the video, however, it was unclear who was asked the questions.

The questions focused on FEMA's relief efforts for Southern California wildfire victims and whether FEMA had been doing an adequate job.

"I think what you're really seeing here is the benefit of experience, the benefit of good leadership and the benefit of good partnership," Johnson said, "none of which were present in Katrina."

I would post a comment, but I'm quite frankly left speechless by the stupidity. It would be absolutely hilarious if a large chunk of the state wasn't burning down around them.

[aerius]

A show conference, it truly isn't possible to tell reality from parody these days.

[Flagg]

A show conference, it truly isn't possible to tell reality from parody these days.

Sure it is. If it's on TV, it's parody.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Pure Pravda at its finest.

[neoolong]

So, if they wanted to issue information to the press, shouldn't they have just done a press release?

Did Jeff Gannon teach them nothing?

[The Yosemite Bear]

wait after 7 to 8 years of Bush doing the fake news confrences, and getting softball questions while on the campaign trail. But it's not ok for anyone ELSE in the administration to do this, or is it just getting caught at it?

[Darth Holbytlan]

Ah, but you see the White House legitimately manipulates its press conferences—by blackballing any reporter who dares ask probing questions.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Chertoff blasts FEMA over phony new conference

October 27, 2007
Chertoff blasts FEMA over phony new conference

WASHINGTON (AP) — The homeland security chief on Saturday lashed into his own employees for staging a phony news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government," Michael Chertoff said.

"I have made unambiguously clear, in Anglo-Saxon prose, that it is not to ever happen again and there will be appropriate disciplinary action taken against those people who exhibited what I regard as extraordinarily poor judgment," he added.

Asked specifically if he planned to fire anyone at FEMA, which is part of his department, Chertoff declined to say, citing personnel rules.

"There will be appropriate discipline," he told reporters at a news conference with New York's governor where they announced an agreement on a driver's license plan.

Chertoff said he knew nothing about the matter until after it happened and that he "can't explain why it happened."

The White House on Friday scolded FEMA for the faux press conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in southern California.

The agency — much maligned for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina over two years ago — arranged to have FEMA employees play the part of reporters at the event Tuesday and question Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy director.

The questions were soft and gratuitous.

"I'm very happy with FEMA's response," Johnson said in reply to one query from an agency employee.

FEMA gave reporters only 15 minutes notice about Tuesday's news conference. But because of the short notice, the agency made available an 800 number so reporters could call in. Many did, although it was a listen-only arrangement.

Johnson said in a statement Friday that FEMA's goal was "to get information out as soon as possible and in trying to do so we made an error in judgment."

"Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received," he said. "We can and must do better."

Filed under Uncategorized
Posted 10/27/2007 07:53:24 PM

Now if only the White House would blast Fox News for biased and outright untrue reporting.

[Patrick Degan]

wait after 7 to 8 years of Bush doing the fake news confrences, and getting softball questions while on the campaign trail. But it's not ok for anyone ELSE in the administration to do this, or is it just getting caught at it?

Y'see, this was an unauthorised fake news conference that didn't even cast reliable fake journalists.

Even by the degraded standards of the maladminstration, this was amateur-hour. Fuck, this was a grade-school play.

[Eris]

Since we're lambasting the general incompetence and idiocy of the current FEMA, I have a question about it that while not strictly related to this, is still in the spirit of things.

Who the hell thought it was a good idea to attach FEMA to the DHS? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the entire point of having FEMA as an independent organisation was so it could react quickly and decisively to problems like Katrina or the California wildfires without getting mired in the bureaucracy that it got mired in during Katrina and to a lesser extend the California wildfires. Same with staffing it with disaster relief experts and not the political cronies that the Bush admin seems to love shoving into every job they have authority over.

Is there not one part of this country so important and non-political that the Bushites won't wreck it?

[Patrick Degan]

Since we're lambasting the general incompetence and idiocy of the current FEMA, I have a question about it that while not strictly related to this, is still in the spirit of things.

Who the hell thought it was a good idea to attach FEMA to the DHS?

Who do you think? Chimpus Caesar.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the entire point of having FEMA as an independent organisation was so it could react quickly and decisively to problems like Katrina or the California wildfires without getting mired in the bureaucracy that it got mired in during Katrina and to a lesser extend the California wildfires. Same with staffing it with disaster relief experts and not the political cronies that the Bush admin seems to love shoving into every job they have authority over.

That was the theory behind FEMA, yes.

Is there not one part of this country so important and non-political that the Bushites won't wreck it?

Um, nope.

[The Yosemite Bear]

I think like Ghouliani Chimpus noticed the "Power to declare Martial Law", and the "First Contact with an Extra-terrestrial intellegnece" portions of FEMA's powers when they decided to make it part of the DHS....