Steam Pipe Hype

A major steam pipe recently exploded in midtown Manhattan now like most old fashioned new yorkers when I heard this news my reaction was a simple "so what else is new?" and then a concerned "damn I hope it does not mess up the trains today." and from talking to most people this was the general reaction of the working NYC stiff. But you would never know that from the major news media. If you did not know any better from the reports and images of the steam pipe rupture you would have thought a major act of terrorism occurred and the whole damn world was coming to an end.

It is worth noting that underground steam pipe explosions are common place in the city that never sleeps. I had one on my block last month and while the sound of the blast can jerk you out of a sound sleep it is a very minor concern and more often then not does not make the news at all. However this explosion occurred during rush hour and in an area surrounded by sky scrapers. The news media then quickly jumped to the conclusion that the blast was terrorist related and even when the truth was revealed the live news broadcast deliberately utilized camera angles that made the steam shooting from the pipe appear to look a great deal like the images most associate with the September 11th attacks on the twin towers. The reporters then in the studio kept reinforcing the idea that the blast was just like the terrorist attacks. I recall one channel 2 news reporter saying as the camera focused on the steam "I think its just like a building collapse and eerily similar to 9/11"