Existing comment:
The caption for this photo said:
"A young man walks through chest-deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005."
Refugees or Victims?
Were the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina refugees, victims, or evacuees? The news media's use of the word "refuge" stirred heated reaction around the country.
"They are not refugees," said civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton. "They are citizens of the United States."
NBC News anchor Brian Williams said no offense was intended by the use of the word.
"It was used as if to say, 'Isn't this a pathetic series of events? Look at the fix we are in here in the United States of America.' These people are, in effect, refugees form New Orleans."
Still, some news outlets banned the use of the word, including NBC, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and National Public radio, while The New York Times and the Associated Press used it. |