Chandra Levy, Gary Condit, shark attacks and hanging chads: all relics of the American consciousness in the world before Sept. 11.
The attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., changed the face of journalism in America, as media outlets from local newspapers to network television blanketed their coverage with news of America’s first conflict of the 21st century.
In light of the events, critics of the American media have become more vocal than usual, citing evidence that objective journalism has been replaced by pro-American cheerleading.
“There isn’t a whole lot of dissent in the media as a whole. Viewpoints critical of the military or the Bush administration seem to be lost in a wave of patriotic sentiment,” said UW political science professor Kathy Cramer Walsh. “Perhaps the media has had a hand in a lot of the displays we see around us.”
Standing graphics of red, white, and blue bearing words such as “America Strikes Back” and “America’s New War” now appear on cable news channels. Many journalists on camera wear patriotic ribbons and lapel pins, and some construe this as a blatant violation of journalisitic professionalism.
“Possible bias occurs not from what the reporter wears, but what he or she believes,” said “Dr. Ink” of the Poynter Institute of Journalism. “The firefighter, police officer and surgeon all wear uniforms that limit and specify their social roles. The journalist also wears a uniform, even if the outward signs are only pen and notebook or the photographer’s vest. In an ideal state, reader or viewer should not be able to discern the ideology of the journalist in the work.”
Although media plays a vital role in informing the public of the events transpiring, the argument exists as to how far reaching the influence actually is.
“Some critics of hyper-patriotism want to make it seem in-genuine,” said UW journalism professor James Baughman. “But Dan Rather didn’t fly those planes. If the media wanted to spur the war effort, they’d keep showing the pictures of the towers falling and describing the stench of death in New York.
“Anyone who would assume that the opinions of the American people are so malleable should be ashamed of themselves,” he continued. “If you’ve been watching the kind of displays that have occurred in baseball stadiums around the country, it is hard to say that it isn’t genuine.”
Displays of concern and unity in the wake of the attacks are not unique to America or Americans, as UW professor of communications Michelle Nelson has observed.
“Different communities express their concern and their mourning in different ways,” she said. “In the Netherlands, for instance, people can be seen lighting candles in their windows and gathering solemnly on the street. Just because someone isn’t waving a flag does mean they have not been affected by this.”
