The effects of the Hurricane Katrina left more than 1,000 people dead and thousands more picking up the mess. More importantly, what some critics call a mismanaged, disorganized and lethargic response by the federal government, in particular the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has left a lasting scar on Americans.

Americans are once again facing a massive natural disaster in the wildfires in much of southern California. FEMA has been close behind, assisting hundreds of thousands of displaced people. And once again, they are being irresponsible to the American public.

Last week, FEMA officials staged a news briefing regarding their response to the wildfires, according to an Associated Press article. Organizers notified the media 15 minutes before it began. Knowing that many reporters would not be able to attend, officials had reporters join by phone, however, they would not be allowed to ask questions. Instead, FEMA employees asked the questions.

This act was irresponsible, deceitful and uncalled for. And the fact that FEMA members believed they could get away with such a fraudulent event is even more appalling.

Press conferences are vital to every party involved, from the organization and reporters, to those affected. Victims could have been depending on that conference to find out if their home was still standing or what to do next if it wasn’t. To stage a fake conference in order to make your organization seem like it has improved its disaster response is a mockery of the entire process.

The public already thought of FEMA’s response as having improved since Hurricane Katrina, so why hold a fake news briefing? It makes you question their actual credibility if they have so much control over the flow of information.

FEMA says the event was a lapse of judgment. This is an understatement. The shadiness of the conference trickles down from FEMA leaders to the employees. And the shameful mishap was highly deceptive at best.