If you haven’t had time to mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, brace yourself. The media is moving ahead whether you’re ready or not.
On Sunday, CNN offered a compilation of the station’s coverage of the terrorist attacks with the "breaking news" banner prominently displayed across the bottom of the screen. Of course, it wasn’t breaking news. It was videotaped footage of the awful events, complete with the images of desperate people jumping out of the World Trade Center.
But with the TV on mute, it took more than a first and second glance to discern that this was indeed footage from that awful September day last year and not a fresh assault underway in the city of New York. In a country still reeling from the devastating surprise of the attack, it was difficult to watch it all again — especially without the proper context or warning. News stations must be diligent to warn viewers of upcoming segments remembering the attacks and the aftermath.
NBC executives were reportedly surprised to learn that children less than four years old are unable to tell the difference between a taped replay and real breaking news. If it’s tough for some adults to pick up on the taped news immediately, it must be especially frightening for young children to watch the horror and think it’s happening right in front of them.
Therapists are encouraging parents to be extra careful of their TV viewing habits during this time. The same advice could be applied to people of any age. Grown-ups might be able to tell the difference between then and now, but that doesn’t mean the familiar footage, newspaper and magazine articles, and radio shows discussing the event won’t have an impact on them.
Extensive coverage is to be expected. Remembering that day by honoring those who died and those who fought so hard to save them is probably part of the healing process for many people. Still, news agencies must be sensitive to the trauma their anniversary coverage might cause. And people must determine for themselves how much of it they can handle between now and Sept. 11.
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