Keller @ Large: Trust The Media And Politicians (For The Next Few Days)

BOSTON (CBS) - I wondered how long it would take, and it didn't take long.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

By early yesterday I was already hearing and reading skepticism about the severity of the hurricane, cynicism about the warnings being given, and questions about the ulterior motives of the media and politicians giving them.

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This is, I hope, a minority viewpoint, and is not unexpected. It happens whenever a serious storm is forecast.

And there have been times when the forecast is off and the storm never really materializes, and the politicians and the media take the heat for having allegedly "overhyped" it.

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If you think this may be one of those times, you haven't been paying attention.

Check out the radar for yourself. And reflect for a moment on how little sense that "overhyping" conspiracy theory makes.

Yes, we are all going big with the storm coverage. Name another story that affects more people right now.

We are giving them minute-by-minute information because that's what our community wants and needs in a situation like this. Imagine the outcry if we were doing anything else at a moment when many of our friends and neighbors are at risk.

And the politicians are in the same boat. Yes, they often benefit from the chance to show leadership during a storm, but isn't that what we want them to do?

And no one is less interested in giving orders that might later be found to have been an unnecessary burden than an image conscious politician.

So please, trust us and the pols, at least for the next couple of days.

After that, they're on their own.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.