[StBernard] Discovery Channel special on St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

I've just finished watching the Discovery Channel's "documentary?" on St.
Bernard parish "After the Flood."  I question whether or not is truly was a
"documentary" since 90% of the program appeared to be nothing more than an
opportunity for self-promotion.  I believe it would have been more accurate
for the on-screen veiwing guide to describe the show as "Paid Programming."
 
What few - and I mean "very few" - minutes there were of human interest
strories from "everyday people," I thoroughly enjoyed...the Dardars, Father
Dennis, Doris Votier - too bad there wasn't more of that.  I can understand
the show's producers wanted to viewers to know of the complexity and
frustrations of dealing with the federal government, but that could have
easily been summed up in 5 minutes.  Previous national programming on
post-Katrina over the past year has already gone into that.  No, I don't
believe the producers of this show tried very hard to find everyday people
and families to be the primary focus of the program - and that's a shame.
It would have been so much more effective.
 
Gee, after I harshly criticized it, Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" is
beginning to look like a masterpiece.
 
- John Scurich