Southern Baptists and NBC 2
You'll recall that an NBC station reported that a Southern Baptist relief center wasn't handing out Anheuser-Busch water, and that the Southern Baptists said [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] that NBC misrepresented the facts, and that there was plenty of other types of water. Specifically:
At no time was anyone deprived of water. In fact, there was a huge surplus of bottled and canned water available at the Clewiston relief site. There was never any disruption in the supply of water being given out to members of the public who continued to receive food, water and other types of assistance from Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief workers.
It is an absolute falsehood to suggest -- as many irresponsible bloggers have -- that the Baptist volunteers withheld the basic needs of life from Floridians impacted by the hurricane. Contrary to misinterpretations of news reports, no one was denied access to water.
Well, Joseph Kennedy (no, not the deceased Ambassador) reports that NBC stands by its story:
...We stand by the facts reported in our story and witnessed by more than one reporter.
No water was being given to the people in line until an alternative to the Anheuser-Busch product arrived.
Darrel Adams
Executive Editor and News Director
WBBH NBC2
Marty Duren, who received the letter from Adams, has this to say:
So our options are: (1) The news reporters are lying, (2) the Disaster Relief workers are lying, (3) two perspectives are being given that are not mutually exclusive [that's a reach], (4) two separate serving stations were involved--one that served and one that didn't [could be a possibility], (5) there was no hurricane and the entire thing was staged in Nevada on the sound stage next to that old fake moon landing equipment.
While option five is intriguing, I suspect that Danielle Pepe, or Darrel Adams, or Keith Hinson, or Tim Bridges somehow misinterpreted what happened.
Meanwhile, Anheuser Busch (to my knowledge) hasn't said anything lately, but here's what they were saying on August 28:
Anheuser-Busch Donates Canned Water For Hurricane Katrina Relief
In Response to Relief Agency Requests, Anheuser-Busch Ships 12,500 Cases of Canned Drinking Water to Support Relief Efforts
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Aug. 28, 2005) – While Gulf Coast residents brace for the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. is preparing to supply emergency drinking water immediately after the storm.
At the request of the Red Cross in Lafayette, La., and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Anheuser-Busch is shipping 12,500 cases of drinking water (300,000 cans) to Montgomery, Ala., to wait until Katrina passes through the Gulf Coast. The company then will ship the water to relief agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi, and it is prepared to send additional water if needed.
“Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers are always willing to step up and lend a hand to our neighbors following natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina,” said Mike Harding, vice president of operations for Anheuser-Busch. “Safe drinking water is a critical need following many hurricanes, and Anheuser-Busch is proud to have donated millions of cans of water to victims of natural disasters.”
The water was canned at the Anheuser-Busch Cartersville, Ga., brewery and Metal Container Corp. in Rome, Ga., a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos., supplied the cans.
Helping communities cope with natural disasters has been an Anheuser-Busch tradition since 1906 when Adolphus Busch made a donation to victims of the San Francisco earthquake. Today, in addition to providing monetary support, Anheuser-Busch breweries package fresh drinking water and donate it to emergency relief organizations for distribution to those in need.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in FORTUNE magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on FORTUNE’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
# # #
And what of NBC-2's owner, Waterman Broadcasting? What is their mission? What are their values? Here they are (emphasis mine):
OUR MISSION
Waterman Broadcasting strives to be the best and most respected resource that people turn to for public service, news, information, marketing, and entertainment. To meet this challenge, together we...
Will value and appreciate our employees and their families,
Always promote open communication throughout the company,
Take pride in enriching our communities and serving our viewers,
Embrace change, innovation, and new technology,
Reward professionalism, integrity, team work, and enthusiasm,
Meet and exceed the needs of our clients,
Aspire to perfection in all our products,
Nurture the unique talents of each individual as the foundation of our success.
CORE LEADERSHIP VALUES
POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Be positive in thought, speech and action. Realize you have the ability to respond positively even in the most adverse situation.
EMPOWERMENT: Empower and trust yourself and others to make informed decisions, tackle challenges and offer constructive solutions.
RESPECT: Respect others and treat them as individuals. Develop and utilize the talents of others.
DIGNITY: Be a role model through honesty, integrity, accountability and professional conduct
TEAM WORK: Act in the best interest of the team first. Build teamwork through positive reinforcement.
ADAPTABILITY: Embrace change and find opportunity in new and different situations.
COMMUNICATION: Resolve problems with others through direct communication. See things from others' perspectives.
So perhaps Darrel Adams and Keith Hinson ought to get together and have a little chat.
Word of advice to Darrel - don't invite Keith to a bar. You want to start things off on the right foot.
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