Media Ban on Body Retrieval Lifted
Challenged in court by CNN, the Bush administration agreed on Saturday not to prevent the news media from following the effort to recover the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims.
The government won’t, however, permit photographers to join them in boats or helicopters during the mission to recover bodies from flooded homes.
CNN filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency in U.S. District Court in Houston late Friday, concerned about two statements made by government officials that day. The officials said they didn’t believe it was right for the news media to show pictures of Katrina victims.
Terry Ebbert, New Orleans’ Homeland Security Director, said the recovery effort would be done with dignity, “meaning that there would be no press allowed.” Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore later said there would be zero access to the recovery operation.
Source: My Mother Lode, Topix.
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