An army of bloggers outmanoeuvred the US federal government during the country's power cut, providing updated reports on the crisis when official websites were still preparing their response. The blackout, which swept across large parts of the US on 14 August 2003, left an estimated 50m people without power and led to a belated admission from President Bush that the country's energy infrastructure needs modernising.
In the immediate aftermath, the
Not surprisingly, commercial sites and major broadcasters reported rapidely and extensively on the story as it unfolded. Two hours after the event, boston.com, the internet site of the Boston Globe, reported: "The largest power blackout in U.S. history rolled across a vast swath of the northern United States and southern Canada on Thursday, driving millions of people outdoors into stifling rush hour streets -- then darkness."
But arguably the quickest and most detailed response was provided by online diarists.
One popular weblog, Instapundit, started posting news 11 minutes after the blackout delivering a mixture of what appeared to be fact along with rumour and gossip. Many bloggers used battery powered laptops connected to wireless networks to publish material online.
Confusingly, for those unfamiliar with federal websites, the Government has two main information points dealing with disasters. While the Homeland Security site carried no information itself, help was available in one area of the department through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It carried just a small notice saying that officials were "monitoring" the situation and that mobile units had been deployed to provide emergency communications between state and federal agencies.
The best official response was through a site created under the Bush administration's e-government programme, however. DisasterAssistance.gov gave clear information on the power cuts, drawing in links from all government sites – including state authorities -- which had provided a response.
Quelle: Kablenet
