How should we remember 9/11 victims?

I woke this morning, Sept. 11, 2007, and asked myself if there was anything left to say or write about what happened six years. I thought of a friend who is turning 22 today and wondered if the day was still bitter or if some of the shadows cast over his birthday have drifted away. Knowing that the national media would be able to find something to write about, I began to sift through various online news sites. New York Times writer Klein asked in his headline “As 9/11 Draws Near, a Debate Rises: How Much Tribute is Enough?” I found the article too impersonal and dry for an issue that is sensitive to so many.   (To its credit, the Times also carried its usual well-produced and informative multimedia pieces on the topic of September 11).

However, CNN responded to the Times’s question with a video showing the viewer if other Americans thought the amount of tribute was enough.  CNN took viewers straight to the emotions, opinions and thoughts of others like themselves. Regardless of the reader’s opinion on the appropriate level of tribute, CNN created a sentimental video showing how survivors around the globe are honoring loved ones lost. The video was well-done without being over-done.

In addition to addressing the tribute question, CNN, in true journalistic fashion, told readers why today is different than 9/11 anniversaries past. This year, firefighters that recovered the dead on 9/11 will read the victims names for the first time.  The image this story created in my mind after reading tugged at my heartstrings, no joke. This was a huge improvement over the Times photo of a woman hugging her deceased son’s picture. Yes, it is sad. But it’s played out. I’ve seen a similar image tens, if not hundreds, of like photos.

 

See The New York Times Story.