60 Minutes Analysis

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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 …show more content…

In the 60 Minutes interview Mark Owen, a member of Navy Seal Team 6 speaks about his experience of being part of the team that was responsible for the capture and subsequent death of Osama Bin Laden. At one point in the interview (12:53-13:12), Owen disclosed how surprised he felt when he looked down out of the helicopter and saw that Bin Laden's hideout was in a beautiful, affluent neighborhood where houses had pools and manicured lawns. Upon this discovery the American public This discovery astonished the American public who felt shocked and disillusioned at the reveal that the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks wasn't living in a world of hardship and poverty as they had imagined. Americans were confused because since 9/11 they had grown accustomed to hearing that the Middle East was a horrible place, that they could not imagine a terrible person like Bin Laden was living comfortably. This line of thinking goes along with Said's ideas on Orientalism. Said writes "this universal practice of designating in one's mind a familiar space which is "ours" and an unfamiliar space beyond "ours" which is "theirs" is a way of making geographical distinctions that can be entirely

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