Auditing the early reporting from New Orleans

In the days following Hurricane Katrina, the media passed on reports that hundreds had died in the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center, and that violent crime was rampant in both places.

Monday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune followed up on the early reporting with an article that recalls some of the claims, and audits them. Brian Thevenot, who wrote the article, joined MSNBC's Amy Robach on Tuesday to discuss the gap between what was reported and what was reality.

"I believe the count at the (Super) dome was six, and then four at the convention center, although there's some question of whether there might be more bodies at the convention center," Thevenot noted, when asked how many people died at both locations in the aftermath of Katrina. "As best we can ascertain, there was only one murder, that was at the convention center, and no murders at the dome."

In the article, Thevenot also reported that instead of the many rapes occurring, as reported by several media sources, there was only one confirmed sexual assault, that coming at the Superdome.

So who's to blame for the gap between what happened and what the media and New Orleans public officials were sharing with the rest of the nation?

"I'm really not sure how it happened, except that I was here. Our paper had some of the only journalists in town for the first three days and I can tell you it was an incredibly tough logistical environment for both us and the public officials," Thevenot said. "They couldn't communicate with one-another."

The reporter cautions that the media does bear some of the responsibility for the transition from rumor to report.

"Sometimes, it's not enough to say 'we have reports that. ...'" he said. "I think the media has an obligation to follow up and to find the proper people to confirm these sorts of stories.

"Now, in this situation, obviously it was very hard to do that. I know that, and I have some sympathy for reporters who were trying to check on these reports, because our reporters were hearing that as well," he said.

He said he thinks it will be important to continue monitoring this subject.

"It's an important story for New Orleans, because now there's a perception nationally that New Orleans is a town full of murderers, thugs and rapists, and I don't think that's true," he said.

To watch the entire interview between Thevenot and Robach, click on the "Launch" button in the video box above. MSNBC Live with Amy Robach and Randy Meier can be seen weekdays from 9 a.m.-Noon.

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