TWO KATRINA DOCS LESS THAN HELPFUL.

Byline: David Kronke Television Critic

THOUGH OUR NATION has moved on to other scandals and tragedies, Hurricane Katrina still reigns as a defining moment in our history.

Americans discovered, to their dismay, that should catastrophe strike, no governmental agencies on any level were competent enough to rescue and aid those in harm's way in a timely fashion. We also learned a few disquieting truths regarding race and class in this country.

Two new documentaries attempt to examine - or cash in on - Katrina. Neither is as compelling as ``In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina,'' which was so critical of government response that none of the outlets for whom the NBC anchor works ran it (the network and its cable-news outlets are owned by General Electric, a military contractor). It aired recently on the smaller, feistier Sundance Channel.

Of the two, the National Geographic Channel's ``Inside Hurricane Katrina'' is the bigger disappointment, as it's part of the same series that produced the excellent ``Inside 9/11.'' Perhaps it's just a rush job, since there are weird and niggling miscues - journalist Cokie Roberts is identified at one point as Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi; languorous B-roll footage of one interviewee's stroll before the Washington Monument lasts longer than his teeny sound bite.

Pacing is oddly off, as well: Nearly an hour is devoted to minutiae building up to the hurricane's striking land in the Gulf, while much of the traumatic aftermath is glossed over.

Weirdest of all is how the documentary, executive-produced by Jonathan Towers, introduces a new wrinkle to the nefarious post-disaster blame game. Apparently, it's all the media's fault.

Some reporters have suggested that New Orleans had dodged a bullet, inviting a somnolent government to return to its slumber. The media also overstated the scope of the violence inside the Superdome and Convention Center, so since there weren't that many rapes or murders, the lack of urgency in the government's response is somehow justified.

Former FEMA director Michael Brown might want to TiVo this, since he comes off here as well as he's ever going to. The worst of his bungling is conveniently ignored: FEMA, tangled in a morass of bureaucratic red tape, turned back and turned down caravans of supplies and medical aid at the height of the crisis. His need to dine at a fine, if overly busy, Baton Rouge restaurant as the Superdome teemed in human waste is overlooked. One feverishly smiling FEMA spokesman is allowed to attribute some missteps to ``the fog of war'' (an excuse journalists actually in New Orleans aren't allowed).

Moreover, Brown's appearance before a House panel is edited to make him look thoughtful and somewhat in charge and omits the heaps of derision Congressmen rained down upon him. The documentary even includes President Bush's assessment that ``Brownie'' was doing ``a heck of a job'' - unironically.

To be fair, the emergency response to the hurricane is assailed, though in a general way, and via a fuzzy time line that seems to suggest that some assistance occurred before it actually did in a material fashion. Meanwhile, archival footage of French Quarter partying and a pointless interview with a jazz musician is over-emphasized. Must be the fog of editing.

Court TV, on the other hand, offers ``N.O.P.D. After Katrina.'' Those last two words are crucial, because there's nothing of the hellish time New Orleans cops endured during the flooding, struggling against department defections and gangs of gun-wielding looters.

Here, we follow two officers answering calls as the populace starts to trickle back into the city. Basically, they're chasing curfew violators and drunk and disorderlies. It's like an episode of ``Cops,'' heightened only by its tragic backdrop.

David Kronke,[phone]

david.kronke(at)dailynews.com

INSIDE HURRICANE KATRINA - Two stars

What: Time line of events leading up to the Katrina disaster and its aftermath.

Where: National Geographic Channel.

When: 9 tonight.

In a nutshell: Katrina 101; useful only if you completely ignored the disaster.

N.O.P.D. AFTER KATRINA - Two stars

What: Two New Orleans policemen cover their beat after Hurricane Katrina struck.

Where: Court TV.

When: 10 tonight.

In a nutshell: Basically a ``COPS'' episode cashing in on a Katrina tie-in.