The September 11th terrorist attack on America shocked the world. It snuffed out the lives of more than 6,000 innocent civilians and destroyed forever the naïve notion that America, somehow, was immune from the random assaults of terrorists that have already destroyed so many other lives in locations around the globe.
No doubt the terrorists responsible for the September 11th attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. hoped to draw attention and sympathy to their cause. Instead, they have brought the wrath of the world down upon their heads. For the first time in history, the countries of the world are united in an unprecedented coalition, a coalition determined to rid the Earth of those who would deal in terror.
In the coming weeks and months, the strength of that coalition will be put to the test as tough words are replaced with the reality of battles and engagements and possibly more terrorist attacks that take an additional toll in human lives.
Media's New Role
As we here at Video Systems contemplate the challenging times that lie ahead, we are struck by the important role that today’s media, in all of its forms, will play in shaping our perceptions and understanding of events as they unfold.
If Vietnam was the first war that television brought into our living room, this War on Terrorism will be the first war covered, communicated, and dissected in realtime via the power of the Web and the proliferation of high-quality, low-cost digital cameras.
As we’ve already seen in these last few weeks since the initial attack on September 11, today’s new media technologies have changed the nature of crisis news reporting. It changes what we know, how much we know, and when we know it. It changes the way traditional news outlets cover fast-breaking news events, and it changes the way we, the general public, discuss, digest, and share information.
Today, news, as well as opinion, rumor, and propaganda, can spin around the world at the speed of light, shaping perceptions and stimulating emotions within moments of an event.
In the coming weeks, it will be our goal in this section of our website to bring some perspective to the social, cultural, and ethical implications of this new age in media communication as well as provide some details on the practical challenges faced by traditional news outlets who are striving to employ the latest media technologies.
We invite you to join us in our coverage of this important topic by sharing with us your own thoughts on the changing role of media. Whether you have thoughts about how the traditional news networks have covered recent news events, or thoughts about how the rise of the Web as a medium for information distribution is impacting our perceptions of events or impacting the role of traditional news outlets, we are eager to hear what you have say. Just
drop us an email, and tell us what’s on your mind. We will happily share your thoughts with others in a bulletin board section on this site.
Stephen Porter is executive editor of Video Systems.
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