ABSTRACT
Saving lives was clearly the priority; but public confidence in government also is crucial. During times of crisis and danger, the public deserves to know that public servants are working effectively on their behalf—and showing them is far more effective than merely telling them. In the confusion and stress of the aftermath, the image shown to the nation and the state was that of a government completely unable to deal with the crisis. The impression was left in the minds of many that government officials either did not care or were incapable of dealing with the enormous challenges presented by the disaster. It is evident that the sins of the national media are not entirely their fault. In many cases, they were victims of circumstance and, in some cases, those circumstances were created by this author and his colleagues in state government.
