Sep 3
If a Tree Falls in the Forest and CNN Doesn’t Report it, Does it Make a Noise?
According to the major networks there is silence. This would appear to be their approach to Sept 11 this year. There is evidently to be no televised commemorations or observances.
Why? They dont think its news worthy? Its an insignificant event? Or do they not want to see the depth of feeling that is still so fresh, much of it not in line with their reporting habits of the past year.
The media has had great power for a long time to inform and to influence people. They have abused it badly in recent times, and this is another low point in the sorry saga. If we dont see it, it isnt happening? Im afraid not; a new power is rising. We dont need you anymore. We have brains, opinions, freedom to speak our minds, and the will and the facility to do so.
For a long time now we have been getting our news earlier and more accurately by turning off our TVs and firing up our computers. This latest attempt by the media to define public opinion by inaction is only going to create a vacuum that hundreds of bloggers will be only to happy to fill. We are biased, we all have our positions, and we dont have editors (well those of us without a spouse dont anyway). We ARE public opinion and a media with instant feed back. A new kind of media, of the people, by the people, for the people hey that sounds catchy.
Will the attacks – not tragedy, not terrible accident, the ATTACKS of September 11th 2001 be commemorated? Yes they will. New York is now the Mecca of the Western World. Will they be covered? I dont know about anywhere else but the blogosphere will cover not much else. We won’t shy away because its ugly or doesnt suit our current agenda. And we won’t agree. We will clash over a lot of it, in some cases tempers will be strained, idle threats issued, and beer consumed. But none of us are going to pretend it didnt happen.
We have all been spectators to the most significant event of the millennium, if not of human history. A war of civilisations was begun; a few still deny it but war is upon them whether they would have it or not. This day will be observed and commemorated, not only in the United States, but everywhere in the free world. Most importantly we will remember it and teach it to our children. I suspect till the end of time.
I live in country where people dont fly flags so it wasnt hard for me to count them last year on Sept 11; there were eight between here and the city, seven of them were the stars and stripes, the eighth was a New Zealand Ensign flying along side one of them. Ill count them again this year, and Im betting there will be more.
So go ahead, ignore it if you will. The dinosaurs ignored that tinge of frost in the air and it worked out ok for them didnt it?
1 Comment so far
Amen.