The attacks that occurred on 9/11 took place on September 11th, 2001. In this devastating event, four different attacks had taken place. Each of the attacks were carried out by terrorists. The group responsible for the attack was Al-Qaeda, a militant Islamist organization that is known to be global in present day. The group itself has a network consisting of a Sunni Muslim movement that aims to make global Jihad happen. Furthermore, a stateless, multinational army that is ready to move at any given time. This terrorist group focuses on attacking non-Sunni Muslims, those who are not Muslim, and individuals who the group deems to be kafir. Ever since the late 1980s, Al-Qaeda has been wreaking havoc all around the world. The leader of the group once being Osama bin Laden. Three planes were bound for New York City while another plane headed towards Washington, D.C. which was supposed to take out the U.S. Capitol. Two of the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center. One plane hitting the North Tower and the other hitting the South Tower. The third plane had crashed into the Pentagon taking out the western side of the building. The last and final plane was focused solely on taking out the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. but failed due to passengers of the plane coming hijacking it from the hijackers. The passengers attempted to take out the hijackers but sadly failed, crashing it into a field in Pennsylvania. Throughout the content of this paper, we will be focusing on the role of media when it comes to 9/11; more specifically: how the media's coverage of 9/11 manipulated our feelings towards 9/11, how it affected Islamophobia in America, and the lasting effects of 9/11.
To begin, the media played a huge role when it came to 9/11....
... middle of paper ...
...rlines operate now a days. In present day, airlines have added a whole slew of security measures in order to combat against terrorism. This is one of the strongest lasting effects that was put into play due to 9/11. In all, there are many lasting effects that were brought on due to the attacks that occurred on 9/11.
In conclusion, the media played a big role when it came to influencing people from all around the world. The media did an excellent job at manipulating millions of people. The sad part is they did it with absolute ease. As discussed throughout this piece, the media manipulated the feelings of people in regards to 9/11 on a daily basis, increased the belief of Islamophobia, and help create many lasting effects directly in relation with 9/11. Ultimately, 9/11 is an event that will go down in history as one of the most devastating events to ever take place.
When a giant explosion ripped through Alfred P. Murrah federal building April 19,1995, killing 168 and wounding hundreds, the United States of America jumped to a conclusion we would all learn to regret. The initial response to the devastation was all focused of middle-eastern terrorists. “The West is under attack,”(Posner 89), reported the USA Today. Every news and television station had the latest expert on the middle east telling the nation that we were victims of jihad, holy war. It only took a few quick days to realize that we were wrong and the problem, the terrorist, was strictly domestic. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Because America jumped to conclusions then, America was later blind to see the impending attack of 9/11. The responsibility, however, is not to be placed on the America people. The public couldn’t stand to hear any talk of terrorism, so in turn the White House irresponsibly took a similar attitude. They concentrated on high public opinion and issues that were relevant to Americans everyday. The government didn’t want to deal with another public blunder like the one in Oklahoma City. A former FBI analyst recalls, “when I went to headquarters (Washington, D.C.) later that year no one was interested in hearing anything about Arab money connections unless it had something to do with funding domestic groups. We stumbled so badly on pinpointing the Middle East right off the bat on the Murrah bombing. No one wanted to get caught like that again,”(Posner 90). The result saw changes in the counter terrorism efforts; under funding, under manning, poor cooperation between agencies, half-hearted and incompetent agency official appointees and the list goes on. All of these decisions, made at the hands of the faint-hearted, opened the doors wide open, and practically begged for a terrorist attack. So who’s fault is it? The public’s for being
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
Completed in 1973, an exhibit called the World Trade Center, which is supposed to stand for “world peace through trade”, were two of the tallest buildings in the world. Nine-eleven was arguably the best security advancement to occur in America. It brought new laws, ways to travel, government agencies, and counter-terrorism programs.
On September 11, 2001, many people’s lives were changed. Not only Americans, but Muslims and Islamist alike, were affected. (A Nation Challenged 80). Family members and friends were lost, lives were taken away, and New York City was torn to pieces. Two planes hit the Twin Towers, otherwise known as the World Trade Center. One plane was flown into the Pentagon located in Virginia. One last plane was flown into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after being taken over by the passengers. The nineteen men who hijacked these planes were from the Islamist militant group known as al-Qaeda. (The 9/11 Commission Report). An editorial in the New York Times said, “It was one of those moments in which history splits, and we define the world as ‘before’ and ‘after’.”
Station 1 was an article from the New York Times about 9/11, what happened during 9/11 and what was going through the people’s heads during 9/11. Station 2 was a bunch of pictures of people who were covered in dust and debris. Some of the pictures showed firefighters helping people who were on the street when the planes hit the buildings. Station 3 had pictures of Americans stereotyping Muslims for the attack and some of the pictures even showed Muslims celebrating. Station 4 had phone calls from people who were in the World Trade Centers when they were hit. The people were panicked(obviously) and didn’t know what to do. They were so scared, they couldn’t think clearly. Station 5 was a speech president Bush gave the day 9/11 happened. He was
Though obviously people are aware of what they are listening to or watching, thoughts and assumptions can drift into their minds without even realizing it. These thoughts that drift in are extremely influential. The massive impact it can have on America's perceptions leads to generalizations, assumptions, and stigmas. Media influence is not always negative, however. In most cases, it has beneficial and positive aspects.
Historical Significance: The September 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, were the events that launched the U.S. War on Terrorism. Al-Qaeda’s attack on the United States was carried out by members of radicalized Islamic groups, whose objective was to spread jihad against the secular influence of the West. This tragic event provided the historical b...
On September 11, 2001 a series catastrophic events occurred in New York City, New York. Al-Qaeda planned strategically conducted events, known as suicide attacks. Nineteen al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airplanes, including United Airlines Flight 93, American Airlines Flight 11, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines 175. Two of the planes purposely crashed into the World Trade Center buildings. In addition, another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. and the fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Those passengers on the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, attempted to win control over the plane; however, there were no survivors.
The attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and the second attack in 2001 are the cases of terrorism that I have chosen to focus on because I believe that they are extremely significant. Both attacks happened during my lifetime, which makes them more personal, and also happened in the city where I was born. Both of these attacks are examples of terrorism because both attacks were violent and intimidating crimes that also had political motives. At first glance, both events seem very similar since they shared a target. In addition, in both cases the terrorists had planned to hit other targets as well, that ended up not being affected or taken down as planned. Also, as stated by Cline, “Both were conducted and planned by men of Middle Eastern descent intent on revenge against the U.S. and Israel's military action in the region” (Cline, 2013). Despite the fact that both cases share many similarities, they also have many differences. The first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 was less devastating that the attacks on September 11th, 2001. In the first attack, fewer people died and the plan was not as successful as the second attack. In addition, the first attacked used a car with a bomb, whereas the second attack used hijacked planes. Although people remember 9/11 for the attack on the twin towers, other important buildings were hit as well, whereas in 1993 the only target that was hit successfully was the North Tower of the World Trade Center. As stated by Scanlon, “the ability of terrorists to create an event which catches the media’s complete attention indicates another significant role the media play in disasters” (Scanlon, 2009). Therefore, the media plays a crucial role in terrorism because without the media, terro...
The media played an important role around the world. News were broadcasted in many different countries. Their goal was to help people understand the event and on-going war on terror that occurred. Propaganda played an important role after the 9/11 attack. The New York Times was responsible for the propaganda behind 9/11 and the 9/11 wars. They promoted false information and ignored most relevant facts. According to research they sold the official account of 9/11 which was a story built on just as many falsehoods. The times continued to sell different explanation from officials. They never reported any critical analysis of the official story. The stories provided for the Twin Towers and WTC 7, were proven to be wrong. The media had the power at the time to take advantage of the situation. I feel that their main goal was to provide false information because they felt that people would not know the actual account. The New York Times was able to distort and provide bias information. This is proven that the media no matter of their reputation in society that they can mislead
In 1692, one of the most inhumane tragedies occurred in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. Now infamously recognized as the “Salem Witch Trials,” the trials were based on faulty accusations that charged others of being witches. These accusations resulted in a considerable amount of people being imprisoned and hanged, and it ended with 20 people being killed. 309 years later, four planes were hijacked by terrorists and were set to crash in four important government centers and buildings. Consequently, these attacks resulted in 2,966 deaths and it was the most severe attack ever on American soil. The terrorists were revealed to be Muslims, and that they supposedly did it in the name of “Allah”, which is the Arabic translation for God.
The media takes a biased approach on the news that they cover, giving their audience an incomplete view of what had actually happened in a story. Most people believe that they are not “being propagandized or being in some way manipulated” into thinking a certain way or hearing certain “truths” told by their favorite media outlets (Greenwald 827). In reality, everyone is susceptible to suggestion as emphasized in the article “Limiting Democracy: The American Media’s World View, and Ours.” The
American Journalistic media employ a variety of different techniques to elicit nationalistic feelings among the American public audience. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., the media focused on fostering a sense of patriotism and unity towards a common goal among the American public. In an attempt to unify the American public the media provided stories of brave Americans who exemplified America's ideal of a national hero who is full of courage, giving a sense of hope. At the same time, the media unified the American public by turning their focus towards a shared goal of defeating Al Qaeda. When the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, was killed the media's coverage and dramatization of his death lead to subsequent
After 9/11 has induced negative attitudes towards Muslim peoples who tend to be strongly associated with any act of terrorism. The media has played a colossal role in developing such negative association wherein it constantly portrays Muslim people in combination with violent terrorist acts. It does so in a way that they both go hand-and-hand. In other words, it has made it as though the Islamic religion is synonymous with terrorism. The media has perpetuated Muslim stereotypes over the years that followed the 9/11 incident. Because of this, society has developed, and still has developed, this prejudiced mindset about the Islamic religion and the Muslim communities around the world. People immediately assume that any violent act being depicted through the media is the direct result of Muslims. They automatically generate this idea that the act was performed by a Muslim terrorist even when they were not involved whatsoever. Regardless of whether it was true or not, Islamic religion and its Muslim adherents are at the top of societies’ agenda just waiting for the evidence to be generated so that they can then safely blame them for such world affairs. Again, this has led to the attack on the Islamic religion itself wherein people have come to postulate Islam as an act of oppression, violence and hatred towards non-Muslims. Anti-Muslim sentiments and campaigns have resulted from such misinformation the media has been generating and feeding its viewers.
In our democratic society, mass media is the driving force of public opinion. Media sources such as Internet, newspaper, news-broadcasts, etc, play significant roles in shaping a person’s understanding and perception about the events occurred in our daily lives. But how much influence does the mass media poses on our opinion? Guaranteed by the First Amendment in American Constitution, the media will always be there to inform us about the different events or issues they feel are important for the public. The media constantly bombards us with news, advertisements, etc, wher...