The Pros, Cons Of Reliving Sept. 11
Every media entity in the land today has focused coverage on Sept. 11's fifth anniversary commemoration. Plenty of buildup led to today, from myriad shows on the network television stations to in-depth newspaper packages, such as the one The Enterprise produced Sunday, from Page 1A to sports and features.
We look at how we've changed in the past five years. We share the stories of where we were on that day.
I was at the gym early that morning when I looked up and saw the television news reports after the first jet hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was that it was a flight that had wandered off course. It reminded me of the B-29 that hit the Empire State Building in 1945.
I quickly left the gym, cranked on the news radio and heard the report of the second jet hitting the World Trade Center. Even then, I wondered if some horrible traffic-control error had resulted in the second strike.
Soon, I was in the newsroom, the Pentagon was hit and we all realized it was intentional, a despicable act of terrorism.
It was a terrible day, one that will remain among the worst, if not arguably THE worst, in U.S. history.
It's human nature - as well as media nature - to commemorate major events (Hurricanes Katrina and Rita included) on their anniversary. The media typically will do a big one-year anniversary splash. The next big commemoration comes on the fifth anniversary, followed by the 10th, 20th, sometimes 25th, 30th and then every decade after that.
So, on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, the media has gone all-out with its coverage.
I'm curious as to how much the public really wants to see and read, particularly those not directly affected by the events.
Last night, there were two network Sept. 11 specials, but I couldn't bear to watch either of them. We did a massive package of stories for our Sunday edition, but based on an Internet report, our online readers aren't nearly as interested in them as they are sex, death and scandal.
I don't believe it's Sept. 11 fading into memory as much as it is the fact that many of us still feel sickened over that tragic day, and it's too difficult to relive through newspapers, television and other means.
But it's also impossible to ignore.
The media has had a responsibility to commemorate that day as well as detail how much it has changed us, from slipping off our shoes at the airport to standing behind our troops engaged in the war on terror.
We also have an obligation to make sure today's children, particularly those who were not born or too young to know, are educated about what happened and what it all means for this country.
We might not have sold out every newspaper rack in town Sunday thanks to our Sept. 11 coverage, but we did our job in painting a portrait of the post-Sept. 11 world, both locally and worldwide.
We look at how we've changed in the past five years. We share the stories of where we were on that day.
I was at the gym early that morning when I looked up and saw the television news reports after the first jet hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was that it was a flight that had wandered off course. It reminded me of the B-29 that hit the Empire State Building in 1945.
I quickly left the gym, cranked on the news radio and heard the report of the second jet hitting the World Trade Center. Even then, I wondered if some horrible traffic-control error had resulted in the second strike.
Soon, I was in the newsroom, the Pentagon was hit and we all realized it was intentional, a despicable act of terrorism.
It was a terrible day, one that will remain among the worst, if not arguably THE worst, in U.S. history.
It's human nature - as well as media nature - to commemorate major events (Hurricanes Katrina and Rita included) on their anniversary. The media typically will do a big one-year anniversary splash. The next big commemoration comes on the fifth anniversary, followed by the 10th, 20th, sometimes 25th, 30th and then every decade after that.
So, on the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, the media has gone all-out with its coverage.
I'm curious as to how much the public really wants to see and read, particularly those not directly affected by the events.
Last night, there were two network Sept. 11 specials, but I couldn't bear to watch either of them. We did a massive package of stories for our Sunday edition, but based on an Internet report, our online readers aren't nearly as interested in them as they are sex, death and scandal.
I don't believe it's Sept. 11 fading into memory as much as it is the fact that many of us still feel sickened over that tragic day, and it's too difficult to relive through newspapers, television and other means.
But it's also impossible to ignore.
The media has had a responsibility to commemorate that day as well as detail how much it has changed us, from slipping off our shoes at the airport to standing behind our troops engaged in the war on terror.
We also have an obligation to make sure today's children, particularly those who were not born or too young to know, are educated about what happened and what it all means for this country.
We might not have sold out every newspaper rack in town Sunday thanks to our Sept. 11 coverage, but we did our job in painting a portrait of the post-Sept. 11 world, both locally and worldwide.
posted by Brian Pearson at 2:34 PM
1 Comments:
I don't believe it's Sept. 11 fading into memory as much as it is the fact that many of us still feel sickened over that tragic day, and it's too difficult to relive through newspapers, television and other means.
This is exactly how I feel. I left the tv off and tried to ignore all the media and coverage.. Its not that I want it to fade into a memory its just that its a very real reminder of what could happen at any time..
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