Discovering the interplay between the news media and acts of terrorism

Before the attacks on September 11^th, the American media was undeniably known for its tendency to aggrandize current events. But once these devastating attacks occurred, sending the country into a tailspin, what remained intact (and was probably further exacerbated) was the media’s sensationalism of such a horrific event. Although reports on the situation occurred on news stations 24 hours a day immediately after the attacks, the constant American press was no match for foreign news organizations, which have been hailed as being more reliable sources for coverage on the attacks than the American media. On the contrary, most major American news Read more

With the attacks of September 11th, news media around the world was given a unique platform from which to inform the public about the dramatic events unfolding in the heart of New York City, the fields of Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. The normal daily news cycle was interrupted, giving television audiences 24-hour, wall-to-wall coverage in which normal programming and advertising restraints were lifted. (McDonald, 2004) With this increasingly large ‘news hole’, Americans and people around the world saw images of disaster, eyewitness testimonies, and government officials along with countless other stories intended to fill the information void. Given the unusually large amount of time alloted for media coverage immediately following 9/11, the American media response became increasingly focused on giving reports that limited the scope to just the disaster, leaving out a larger context in which the events could be viewed through. American media also tended to promote a government-supported framing of the events, which in turn was either challenged or reflected in countries around the world.

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