Did/Is the media cover 9/11 too much?

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Just wondering:

Did the media cover the event too much when it happened exactly ten years ago? Did they show the plane impacts too often? Did they give in to overstatement and/ or exaggeration? Did they distort what happened? Did they, instead, not do enough?

Now that it's the anniversary, do you get the feeling they are either not doing enough or doing too much now?

And to what end? We all know what happened. Do we need to have it shoved down our throats? Or is it a good way to recognize the significance of the event?

Sorry.. if my rather pointed questions seem more appropriate for TNZ or if they seem insensitive, I apologize.

But I do think about the event, but lingering on the images accomplishes little.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Obviously compared to other things going on in the world 9/11 is way overrated in general, but that's just the nature of US-centrism of American media and the global dominance of American culture. Especially if you're just looking at the "body count".

 

[the G-man]

Obviously compared to other things going on in the world 9/11 is way overrated in general, but that's just the nature of US-centrism of American media and the global dominance of American culture. Especially if you're just looking at the "body count".

I think the U.S. media has every right to cover a U.S. disaster/tragedy/terrorist attack any way it sees fit. I also think it's not overrated in the U.S. because it happened here and there's never been anything like it in the U.S. before.

Is the world media covering 9/11 extensively today? I wouldn't know since I live in New York.

If it is, maybe you should be complaining to your local state-run media about U.S dominance of American culture, etc., instead of worrying about what Americans might choose to watch.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I do think they exploit it, but people want to see it, so they give the people what they want. Notice, though, that since there's no footage of the plane in Pennsylvania crashing that day, we hardly ever hear about that. It's all about the towers, because they can show you the planes actually crashing into the buildings. Also, the Pentagon rarely gets mentioned.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I think the U.S. media has every right to cover a U.S. disaster/tragedy/terrorist attack any way it sees fit. I also think it's not overrated in the U.S. because it happened here and there's never been anything like it in the U.S. before.

Absolutely. I didn't phrase it well, so I understand why my comment could come off as critical, but that's not how I meant it. My point was just that from a purely rational, or you could even say callous perspective, 9/11 was not that big of a deal. Of course considering the cultural impact for the USA it's completely understandable why the media made it such a big deal because people don't see it that way.

Similarly if some mass murderer kills a couple dozen people in a school or something - what's 30 or so dead kids in the big picture? Nothing, but it's a tragedy anyway.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Obviously compared to other things going on in the world 9/11 is way overrated in general, but that's just the nature of US-centrism of American media and the global dominance of American culture. Especially if you're just looking at the "body count".

I think the U.S. media has every right to cover a U.S. disaster/tragedy/terrorist attack any way it sees fit. I also think it's not overrated in the U.S. because it happened here and there's never been anything like it in the U.S. before.

Is the world media covering 9/11 extensively today? I wouldn't know since I live in New York.

If it is, maybe you should be complaining to your local state-run media about U.S dominance of American culture, etc., instead of worrying about what Americans might choose to watch.

The OP asked a question and Roger answered on topic. Calm down, or avoid the thread if it's too difficult for you to discuss the presence of 9/11 in media without letting your emotions take over.

 

[1001001]

I think this is a perfectly fair question. I was wondering that this morning, while reading an article on children who were born to fathers killed on 9/11.

I guess it's hard for me to get a true perspective. On one hand, it was an awful day. A stunning, shocking tragedy. On the other hand, the use of the event afterward for political and economic manipulation gives me serious pause.

I suppose if the current extent of coverage (thanks to the anniversary) leads to something other than crass attempts to sell merchandise and fuel anger at foreigners, then it's worth it. Are we reflecting, ten years on? Have we learned anything? I don't know...

I have an enormous amount of sympathy for those directly affected. The stories I was reading of these kids that never knew their fathers was very touching.

I guess I'm all over the map here. This is a tough subject, with lots of legitimate points of view. My main point is that it is perfectly understandable that one would ask these kinds of questions, and I don't find the asking of them inappropriate or offensive at all.

 

[Forbin]

Sitting here trying to figure out how anyone, anywhere in the world, could imagine that 9/11 wasn't, isn't or shouldn't be a "big deal."

An organized, unprovoked terrorist attack designed to cripple a country's financial structure, military command, and leadership, that did, in fact, succeed in devastating our economy and the airline industry, changing the way do almost everything from airport security down to driver's licensing, and, ya know, murdering thousands of innocent people...

Not a big deal?

 

[1001001]

Sitting here trying to figure out how anyone, anywhere in the world, could imagine that 9/11 wasn't, isn't or shouldn't be a "big deal."

An organized, unprovoked terrorist attack designed to cripple a country's financial structure, military command, and leadership, that did, in fact, succeed in devastating our economy and the airline industry, changing the way do almost everything from airport security down to driver's licensing, and, ya know, murdering thousands of innocent people...

Not a big deal?

I'm not sure that's the point being made. It was most certainly "a big deal".

 

[RoJoHen]

9/11 is definitely one of those things that I got really tired of hearing about after a while. It's not that it wasn't important; it was, but all the coverage felt like overkill. Not just that, but references to it started seeping into the fictional TV shows I watched at the time, too. It was impossible to escape.

 

[the G-man]

Obviously compared to other things going on in the world 9/11 is way overrated in general, but that's just the nature of US-centrism of American media and the global dominance of American culture. Especially if you're just looking at the "body count".

I think the U.S. media has every right to cover a U.S. disaster/tragedy/terrorist attack any way it sees fit. I also think it's not overrated in the U.S. because it happened here and there's never been anything like it in the U.S. before.

Is the world media covering 9/11 extensively today? I wouldn't know since I live in New York.

If it is, maybe you should be complaining to your local state-run media about U.S dominance of American culture, etc., instead of worrying about what Americans might choose to watch.

The OP asked a question and Roger answered on topic. Calm down, or avoid the thread if it's too difficult for you to discuss the presence of 9/11 in media without letting your emotions take over.

My criticism was directed at what I saw as Roger's callousness which he want on to clarify. It seems as if we were able to resolve our dispute without you.

On a related topic, I see that you, like Roger, are posting from Europe. Is it being covered extensively over there? How many hours?

 

[Dac]

It's a big deal. Yes it was horrific. Yes it should be remembered and yes the lives lost that day should be honored appropriately.

However, have certain parties used this event for their own purposes over the past decade? Absolutely. And am *I* sick of this 2 weeks long 9/11 rememberfest that's been going on? Yes.

Sure, let the news cover it, sure, have a few specials on it, but when I was round my nan's house the other day, she had The Jeremy Kyle show on (Essentially Jerry Springer) and he was in new york interviewing victims of 9/11 (First responders and the like) and it ended with a grotesque montage set to Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold". I was sitting there in shock at the sheer audacity of this 5th rate pile of shit TV show to have this 4 minute montage featuring shots of the towers falling and survivors crying. It was horrific. THEN This Morning started and we had freaking Lesley Joseph from Birds of a fucking Feather banging on about the decision the president took to shoot down the fourth plane before adding "but of course it was the passengers who brought it down in the end."

I was just sitting there in a completely state of bewilderment at what I had just seen. Sure, I feel some weird shit happened that day but I'm not going to get into that. Today I watched BBC News' coverage of the service at ground zero/the 9/11 memorial and that felt appropriate, I didn't have a problem with that. But when every single show on TV starts voicing their opinion (Especially Jeremy Kyle. Jesus christ) I get a tad pissed off by it all.

 

[iguana_tonante]

My criticism was directed at what I saw as Roger's callousness which he want on to clarify. It seems as if we were able to resolve our dispute without you.

I'm glad Roger decided to expand on his comment, ignoring your hostility and your not-so-cleverly-disguised snipes for being a commie furriner ("state-run media": really?). He is clearly a better man than I am.

On a related topic, I see that you, like Roger, are posting from Europe. Is it being covered extensively over there? How many hours?

It is pretty much covered in every newscast, and it has been for a few days now, and I saw the ads for several "specials" about it. Obviously, it pops up in fiction as well, especially in tv series produced at the time and for a few years later, which are usually shown at this time of the year. Beyond that, I don't watch much tv nowadays, so there might be even more instances I'm not aware of.

 

[the G-man]

("state-run media": really?)

Vienna is in Austria. Austria has state-run television (ORF). Austria was, in fact, the last country in Europe to allow private television.

I must admit I do find it ironic that the bulk of the complaints about too much coverage are coming from people in countries where their television is controlled, at least partially, by their government. In the U.S., the coverage is determined largely by what the viewers want (or at least what networks THINK they want). In Europe, the coverage is determined in no small part by what your governments decides to air.

So, yes, if there is too much 9-11 coverage in Europe, the complaint is with your governments for airing the stuff, not with American "dominance" of television.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Vienna is in Austria.

Wow, no shit? I though not even SHIELD was able to track her whereabouts. You are good.

As for the rest of your post: gubmint bad, America good, shut up you furriner. Par for the course.

 

[cultcross]

("state-run media": really?)

Vienna is in Austria. Austria has state-run television (ORF). Austria was, in fact, the last country in Europe to allow private television.

I must admit I do find it ironic that the bulk of the complaints about too much coverage are coming from people in countries where their television is controlled, at least partially, by their government. In the U.S., the coverage is determined largely by what the viewers want (or at least what networks THINK they want). In Europe, the coverage is determined in no small part by what your governments decides to air.

So, yes, if there is too much 9-11 coverage in Europe, the complaint is with your governments for airing the stuff, not with American "dominance" of television.

Public television is not government controlled, it is government (or separately but publicly) funded. The BBC fall out with the government fairly regularly. The 'governments' do not decide what to air.

 

[J.T.B.]

Usually when the US media goes into "wall to wall coverage" mode, I find it gets exploitative. This 10th anniversary is no different. But it really was a major historical event, so compared to royal wedding or Casey Anthony or Charlie Sheen coverage, I really don't have any complaints.

--Justin

 

[sidious618]

I find the extensive 10th anniversary coverage obscene to be honest. It's clearly exploitive and just a way for the networks to raise their ratings by getting people all worked up about the event again. There's simply no need for it. Do a piece on the anniversary and move on.

 

[the G-man]

Vienna is in Austria.

Wow, no shit? I though not even SHIELD was able to track her whereabouts. You are good.

As for the rest of your post: gubmint bad, America good, shut up you furriner. Par for the course.

As is the European tendency, exemplified by centuries of imperialism, colonialism and classiscm (not to mention outright fascism now and then) to arrogantly decide what others should and shouldn't talk about.

I'll let you go whine to the moderators now. After all, while its perfectly fine to complain about and generalize America, it's not to complain about other nations, right buddy?

 

[iguana_tonante]

You are right: it's a well-known fact that mods here are notoriously anti-American, and they seize every opportunity to bash the US while praising other nations. They probably don't support the troops either. Lulz.

As a rule, I don't notify the mods for comments against me: I'm not easily offended, and having a few flames thrown at me is not something that bothers me. Also, I'm the first to criticize my own country for our role in history, so your attempts at baiting me are definitively going for the wrong target.

To be honest, I pity your misdirected anger and resentment. If a simple comment triggered that kind of response, you must endure a very stressful life. Letting you stew in your own juice of hostility is the worst kind of punishment I can imagine.