So - what went wrong yesterday: the Coast Guard conducting a training exercise on 9/11 or CNN reporting a "suspicious" incident in restricted waters near the Pentagon and between the bridges that POTUS was traveling? Bridges that carry traffic in and out of our nation's Capital.
Did the Coast Guard really think that such a training exercise would go unnoticed on 9/11? On 9/11, when we are all holding our breath, hoping there are no "crazies" out there looking to stick holes in our security. Couldn't the "daily training exercise" be held in another location less conspicuous?
Did CNN react too quickly? Were they wrong to report what they heard and what they saw? I believe they were in a "catch-22". Had they not reported the situation, and had the event been an attempt to breach security, and had the bridges been damaged and lives lost - would we not have looked to them as "failing" to provide the citizenry with needed information? Let's face it, we always look to someone to blame; whether or not, blame is appropriate.
I believe the editors found themselves in a moral quandary. In their attempt to maintain objectivity, they reasoned that the event was questionable and deemed a warning of caution to those in the area. They continually advised that the event was not verified and they were seeking to validate the transmission.
"Objectivity is a myth"; so I was told by a journalism professor in my first incarnation as a student. And, as any philosophy student learns, "perceptions are fact."
As human beings, our realities are shaped by our experiences, our knowledge and our exposure to the world around us. In our attempt to be "objective" we draw on our value system and beliefs. Can I be objective on a jury trying a home invasion when I have been a victim of the same? As a reporter I choose the "facts" to relate in my observations of the story. I prioritize those facts and present what is "most important" as I believe them to be. That is the rub between writers and editors - our perceptions of objectivity are different - subjectively determined.
What is the truth to the story around Joe Wilson's outburst during the Obama speech to Congress on healthcare? He was wrong to shout out "you lie"; it is rude, disrespectful and untrue. Others believe he was right to call the President on a "misrepresentation" of the facts of the bill. The bill does not provide coverage for illegal aliens; but the bill does not provide for enforcement to prevent coverage for illegal aliens. Who is right?
The search for truth is stressful. Logic can confuse us. People do not always respond and react logically. We are told to maintain objectivity when we can not remove ourselves from our own experiences coloring a situation.
Jack Nicholson was right, "we can't handle the truth."
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
9/11/01 - My Memory
I'm outraged this morning that the Coast Guard would conduct a "training exercise" THIS morning on the Potomac near the Pentagon. Turning on CNN to see and hear that "gun fire challenged a recreational craft" brought back visions of the crumbling towers and a sinking heart; helpless and bewildered. What were they thinking?
It is hard to reconcile that eight years ago those planes, driven and fueled by such hatred, slammed into the bustling microcosm of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was at home recovering from a recent hospitalization and my sister-in-law Bea was staying with me. I turned on the television to see flames billowing from the Pentagon. I went into the kitchen to refill my coffee and Bea took my place in front of the TV. "No!" she said, "it's the Towers." It took me several minutes to understand that this attack was occurring on two venues.
Bea immediately got on the phone to find the whereabouts of family members in the NYC area. I sunk into the couch to begin my 24 hour vigil switching from CNN to NBC to CBS to ABC. The grim photos were on every station. Coming from a family with many members serving on fire and police departments, my prayers were now focused on the responders. Prayers for their safety and prayers for their success at rescuing survivors.
The phone began ringing and we reached out to neighbors and friends to find some solace in this national tragedy. Bea and I went out on frantic search for an American flag; something I am ashamed I did not have at the time. We met some friends at a local restaurant to recount the tragedy and begin our mourning; and fire up our resolve not to let this change our way of life. We joined members of the community in the park for a concert and prayer service. We had to share and grieve together.
Two days later, I had a doctor's appointment. I left Bea at the church to pray. While with my physician, the fire alarms began ringing in the medical tower and we were told to evacuate. My heart was racing and so was my mind. How could this be happening in Columbia, South Carolina? The patients, physicians and staff were all evacuated into the parking garage. I didn't think that this was such a good idea. Since I was parked there I decided to leave. All I wanted to do was get back to my house and in front of the TV. (The fire alarm was set off by a grease fire in the cafe on the third floor of the medical building.) It was weeks before I left that television for more than an hour or two. I can still hear the "silence" at Ground Zero when another victim was brought out of the rubble into the lights. I remember the announcement that the "search and rescue" was now a "search and recovery."
In April of 2002, I visited NYC. I was there for two days before I conjured up enough courage to go to Ground Zero and visit Battery Park. It was a silent pilgrimage. Along with many others, I walked the perimeter of the site, hearing the rumbling of machinery and seeing the bright lights piercing through the darkness of night. There are times that I wish I had not gone because my memory of the Towers is now changed; as is the skyline.
When I think of the Towers, I try to remember other days in the history of World Trade Center. I remember having Sunday brunch in the Windows of the World, sipping Mimosas and watching Lady Liberty keeping vigil over the harbor. God Bless America.
It is hard to reconcile that eight years ago those planes, driven and fueled by such hatred, slammed into the bustling microcosm of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was at home recovering from a recent hospitalization and my sister-in-law Bea was staying with me. I turned on the television to see flames billowing from the Pentagon. I went into the kitchen to refill my coffee and Bea took my place in front of the TV. "No!" she said, "it's the Towers." It took me several minutes to understand that this attack was occurring on two venues.
Bea immediately got on the phone to find the whereabouts of family members in the NYC area. I sunk into the couch to begin my 24 hour vigil switching from CNN to NBC to CBS to ABC. The grim photos were on every station. Coming from a family with many members serving on fire and police departments, my prayers were now focused on the responders. Prayers for their safety and prayers for their success at rescuing survivors.
The phone began ringing and we reached out to neighbors and friends to find some solace in this national tragedy. Bea and I went out on frantic search for an American flag; something I am ashamed I did not have at the time. We met some friends at a local restaurant to recount the tragedy and begin our mourning; and fire up our resolve not to let this change our way of life. We joined members of the community in the park for a concert and prayer service. We had to share and grieve together.
Two days later, I had a doctor's appointment. I left Bea at the church to pray. While with my physician, the fire alarms began ringing in the medical tower and we were told to evacuate. My heart was racing and so was my mind. How could this be happening in Columbia, South Carolina? The patients, physicians and staff were all evacuated into the parking garage. I didn't think that this was such a good idea. Since I was parked there I decided to leave. All I wanted to do was get back to my house and in front of the TV. (The fire alarm was set off by a grease fire in the cafe on the third floor of the medical building.) It was weeks before I left that television for more than an hour or two. I can still hear the "silence" at Ground Zero when another victim was brought out of the rubble into the lights. I remember the announcement that the "search and rescue" was now a "search and recovery."
In April of 2002, I visited NYC. I was there for two days before I conjured up enough courage to go to Ground Zero and visit Battery Park. It was a silent pilgrimage. Along with many others, I walked the perimeter of the site, hearing the rumbling of machinery and seeing the bright lights piercing through the darkness of night. There are times that I wish I had not gone because my memory of the Towers is now changed; as is the skyline.
When I think of the Towers, I try to remember other days in the history of World Trade Center. I remember having Sunday brunch in the Windows of the World, sipping Mimosas and watching Lady Liberty keeping vigil over the harbor. God Bless America.
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