http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050908-4.htmlThe reporters didn't let up. This towards the end:
Q Scott, there are a couple of issues that are developing that are of concern to journalists now in Louisiana and Mississippi. One of them is FEMA refusing to take reporters and photographers when they're going to recover the bodies, ostensibly because they don't want pictures of them on the news. But this also is at the same time as reporters are discovering that access is being barred to them to places by the military -- to places where they previously went. Brian Williams' own blog reports an instance of a police officer turning a gun on a reporter.
MR. McCLELLAN: Sorry, I haven't blogged today, so I haven't seen some of those reports.
JERK! Q Well, check it out, he has three instances in there of the military being hostile to journalists.
MR. McCLELLAN: I know that the military, and I think even Coast Guard is taking steps to try to make sure reporters can go along on some of the efforts, the humanitarian assistance efforts and the search and rescue efforts. That was my understanding when we were there on Friday visiting with a lot of the Coast Guard people that had been working round-the-clock on search and rescue operations.
Your first statement that you made, I think you need to look further into that, because I don't think that's an accurate characterization. I saw some reports to that effect, and my understanding is that it was not an accurate characterization. Certainly, I think we all want to keep in mind the sensitivities that will arise when we begin a more -- or a larger undertaking of recovering bodies that will be found. As I said, it's going to be an ugly situation when those flood waters ultimately recede and we go in and start recovering larger numbers of bodies, of people who have lost their lives. Those are people who had families and friends, and we hope everybody will show the dignity -- proper dignity and respect. But in terms of the characterization that you made, I don't think that's accurate.
Q I have a quote from FEMA about it, saying the recovery of victims is being treated with dignity and the utmost respect, and we have requested that no photographs of the deceased be made by the media. And, yet, the bodies, themselves, tragically, are a very large part of this story. And to bar any official --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not sure that that's the full statement.