The shock of the news : media coverage and the making of 9 11

How did the events of September 11, 2001 come to be thought of as 9/11? The Shock of the News is an authoritative account of post-9/11 political and social processes, offering an in-depth analysis of the media coverage of this momentous event. Brian Monahan demonstrates how 9/11 has been transformed into a morality tale centered on patriotism, victimization, and heroes. Introducing the idea of “public drama” as a way of making sense of how media processed and packaged the 9/11 attacks for their audiences, Monahan not only illuminates how and why the coverage took shape as it did, but also provides us with new insights into the social, cultural, and political consequences of the attacks and their aftermath. Monahan explains how and why 9/11 became such a potent symbol, exploring how meanings and symbols get created, reinforced, and disseminated in modern society. Ultimately, Monahan offers an important new understanding of this singular event of our time, and his compelling narrative brings the momentous events back into focus. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Preface 12 Part I 18 1 Introduction: Understanding Public Drama 20 2 News as Public Drama: The Era of the Endless News Cycle 35 3 Making Public Drama: Telling a Good Story 56 Part II 70 4 Framing September 11: Overview of the Media and the Audience’s Response 72 5 Seeking Sense amid the Shock: The Coverage on September 11 87 6 The Drama Is in the Details: Dramatic Amplification at Ground Zero 112 7 A Nation’s Tragedy: Cultivating Emotionality at Ground Zero 134 Part III 150 8 America’s Heroes: New York’s Firefighters in the Spotlight 152 9 To the Stars Go the Spoils: Moral Currency and the FDNY 171 10 September 11 and Beyond: Public Drama in the Twenty-first Century 188 Notes 200 Bibliography 220 Index 234 A 234 B 234 C 234 D 234 E 234 F 235 G 235 H 235 I 235 J 235 K 235 L 235 M 235 N 236 O 236 P 236 R 236 S 236 T 237 U 237 V 237 W 237 Z 237 About the Author 238 0814795552,9780814795552,0814795544,978-0814795545,0814796125,:,978-0814796122 0814795552,9780814795552,0814795544,978-0814795545,0814796125,: 978-0814796122 Introduction : Understanding Public Drama -- News As Public Drama : The Era Of The Endless News Cycle -- Making Public Drama : Telling A Good Story -- Framing September 11 : Overview Of The Media And Audience's Response -- Seeking Sense Amid The Shock : The Coverage On September 11 -- The Drama Is In The Details : Dramatic Amplification At Ground Zero -- A Nation's Tragedy : Cultivating Emotionality At Ground Zero -- America's Heroes : New York Firefighters In The Spotlight -- To The Stars Go The Spoils : Moral Currency And The Fdny -- September 11 And Beyond : Public Drama In The Twenty-first Century. Brian A. Monahan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 203-216) And Index. Introduction : understanding public drama -- News as public drama : the era of the endless news cycle -- Making public drama : telling a good story -- Framing September 11 : overview of media and audience response -- Seeking sense amid the shock : the coverage on September 11 -- What has been and what will be : dramatic amplification at ground zero -- This is your story, too : cultivating emotionality at ground zero -- America's heroes : New York firefighters in the spotlight -- To the stars go the spoils : moral currency and the FDNY -- September 11 and beyond : public drama in the twenty-first century How did the events of September 11, 2001 come to be thought of as 9/11? This title presents an account of post-9/11 political and social processes, offering an analysis of the media coverage of this momentous event. It demonstrates how 9/11 has been transformed into a morality tale centred on patriotism, victimization, and heroes.