2008 Woodie Awards
Networks to air 9/11 specials for anniversary
Nicole Chismar '07
Issue date: 9/15/06 Section: World
- Page 1 of 1
As the nation observes the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, television networks across the country have scheduled a slew of prime-time specials documenting the events of that now infamous day.
Their coverage is intended to remind Americans not only of the lives lost and heroism displayed, but also the factors that made the attacks possible.
Controversy looms over these retrospective specials as the perhaps unscrupulous quest for Nielsen ratings, questions of journalistic bias, and skewed facts are clouding the pursuit of the truth.
ABC News, honored with the Peabody Award for its initial coverage of the attacks, plans to observe the anniversaryby airing a mini-series entitled, "The Path to 9/11," which will dramatize the events leading up to the attacks.
Although the network notes the T.V. movie plans to "take viewers behind closed doors at the CIA, the FBI and the White House," it is not intended to be a factual documentary. Harshly criticized for its lack of facts, the network told CNN that it has received letters from both former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and former President Bill Clinton, urging producers to create a more honest account.
Elsewhere on network news, Katie Couric, the new anchor of CBS' nightly news, also hosted an hour-long prime-time special on CBS entitled, "Five Years Later: How Safe Are We?" which focused on the status of the country's homeland security. The network praised the special for its straightforward and objective coverage, but it scored incredibly low that night according to the Nielsen fast national rating of 5.9.
Ted Koppel also plans to air a live, town-hall style meeting on the Discovery Channel which will reveal the results of a Discovery Channel/Time Magazine poll that asked Americans what individual liberties they were willing to relinquish for security; a controversial topic that the Discovery Channel hopes will boost ratings.
Regardless, ABC is still expected to win the ratings race this week despite having the least factual programming.
With this kind of distribution in the T.V. ratings, many experts fear that entertainment value is taking the place of reliable information. The irony is not lost on young adults who are often targeted by this programming.
"I think that the news media is extremely biased, they are all after the most entertaining story and each just seems to try to outdo the other," said Andrea Moffit '07
Kristen Smith '07 takes issue with the integrity of T.V. news, saying, "I think that the TV is definitely not a reliable source of information for what really happened on 9/11. News stations like FOX are big corporations run by multimillionaires who have their political views and impose those views on the news that they fund.
Sources: CNN, ABC, CBS, Discovery.com
Their coverage is intended to remind Americans not only of the lives lost and heroism displayed, but also the factors that made the attacks possible.
Controversy looms over these retrospective specials as the perhaps unscrupulous quest for Nielsen ratings, questions of journalistic bias, and skewed facts are clouding the pursuit of the truth.
ABC News, honored with the Peabody Award for its initial coverage of the attacks, plans to observe the anniversaryby airing a mini-series entitled, "The Path to 9/11," which will dramatize the events leading up to the attacks.
Although the network notes the T.V. movie plans to "take viewers behind closed doors at the CIA, the FBI and the White House," it is not intended to be a factual documentary. Harshly criticized for its lack of facts, the network told CNN that it has received letters from both former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and former President Bill Clinton, urging producers to create a more honest account.
Elsewhere on network news, Katie Couric, the new anchor of CBS' nightly news, also hosted an hour-long prime-time special on CBS entitled, "Five Years Later: How Safe Are We?" which focused on the status of the country's homeland security. The network praised the special for its straightforward and objective coverage, but it scored incredibly low that night according to the Nielsen fast national rating of 5.9.
Ted Koppel also plans to air a live, town-hall style meeting on the Discovery Channel which will reveal the results of a Discovery Channel/Time Magazine poll that asked Americans what individual liberties they were willing to relinquish for security; a controversial topic that the Discovery Channel hopes will boost ratings.
Regardless, ABC is still expected to win the ratings race this week despite having the least factual programming.
With this kind of distribution in the T.V. ratings, many experts fear that entertainment value is taking the place of reliable information. The irony is not lost on young adults who are often targeted by this programming.
"I think that the news media is extremely biased, they are all after the most entertaining story and each just seems to try to outdo the other," said Andrea Moffit '07
Kristen Smith '07 takes issue with the integrity of T.V. news, saying, "I think that the TV is definitely not a reliable source of information for what really happened on 9/11. News stations like FOX are big corporations run by multimillionaires who have their political views and impose those views on the news that they fund.
Sources: CNN, ABC, CBS, Discovery.com