State of Media After 9/11

9/11 was undeniably one of the worst terror attacks, to happen in America. And much like after any act of terror, there comes a lot of self-assessment and rethinking of the status quo guided by fear. The US went through that kind of fear guided rethinking with radical speed and ferocity. In regards to the media, the US went through a period of almost nationalistic press. News had become a form of public drama. Storytelling became an important key in reporting the news. There was little skepticism in the media for anything the government deemed as suspected terror. Terms like waterboarding that were once considered torture prior to 9/11 were no longer torture. It took four years to find out for the media to report on “secret prisons” and suspected terrorists in Guantanamo were no longer prisoners but “detainees.” There was a dramatic amplification of the events in the aftermath and there 9/11 was always, and sometimes still is, regarded with a heightened emotionality. Even today, politicians invoke 9/11 routinely to sway the crowds and occasionally the press. Having anything 9/11, Al Qaeda, and terrorism related always became front page news, taking precedence to anything domestic and perhaps more present.

In regards to the country, 9/11 brought about a barrage of changes to the security of the nation. The US entered Afghanistan practically a month later to tackle al Qaeda, and there are troops still there today. So is al Qaeda. This is perhaps the longest running war in US history. In 2003 the US invaded Iraq under suspicion of Saddam Hussain producing weapons of mass destruction. There were no weapons. Safety and border security became the biggest spending sector of the government. The homeland security budget went from $16 billion to $43 billion in 2011. There was a huge surge in the enlistment of troops. There was an estimated 3.1 million new enlistees from 2001 to 2011. There was a tightening of airport security and investment in new