Frank Rich is, for once, making some sense. Expect the 9/11 onslaught to begin this week, and continue throughout September. Fox News asked all of its columnists to refelct, if they were so inclined, on 9/11 for a special retrospective section. I think I might pass. It would be easy to write about what it was like to be in midtown D.C. that day. It was frightening at times. But I don’t think I could add much that hasn’t already been said or written. I didn’t lose anyone close to me last September, and I personally was never in any real danger. So to write a tear-jerker, or some harrowing I-survived-the-attack-on-D.C. firsthand account seems a little exploitative to me.

This Washington Post article asks an interesting question: at what point does comemoration become profiteering (or exploitation)? It seems perfectly acceptible, for example, for newspapers to print special sections, even entire editions to remember 9/11. They’ll make money off of those special editions. And I don’t see much problem with that. Some cable news channels have vowed to go commercial-free, which is admirable. But I don’t think you can expect that from all media, nor you can find fault with media that does decide to run ads.

But we have seen endeavors over months past that raise some questions. I’m not at all comfortable with the Cantor Fitzgerald commercials implying that doing business with the company might be one way to pay tribute to WTC victims. And Rosie O’Donnell I think makes a good point (never thought I’d use those words in that order) when she scolds the Hollywood celebrities who went on TV to ask Joe Lunchbucket for a $50 donation to the Red Cross, but who scoffed when Rosie suggested there be a $1 million cover at the telethon’s door. Camera time to ask America for money? Sure. Dig in to your own checkbook? Not likely.

Whatever the next month brings, unless you experienced the attacks in person, 9/11 will not be remembered as it was, but as it will be filtered through camera lenses, montages, videotape, and the prose of paid scribes. I share the fear that we’ll become desensitized, but what’s the alternative? “9/11, a year later” is news, and the media is right to cover it as such.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 31st, 2002 at 12:34 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.