The Day History was Squandered
5/24/06
I always knew that the media, particularly the news and newspapers, was basically a vehicle for delivering depressing news and nonsense constantly overshadowing the good that actually occurs in this world. However today that feeling resonated tenfold. The media missed the mark by a long shot today. I realized this as I sat with my coworker in the conference room while we were eating lunch. He was going through his typical lunchtime routine of perusing and skimming articles throughout the paper and bitching and moaning to his live audience. And today he noted that the opening of 7 World Trade Center was on the second page of the Star Ledger as opposed to the front. And of course ¾ of the front page, mostly a photo, was dedicated to the tragedy and grief of the mourning of two young children who were mowed over by a hit and run vehicle in Roselle. The vehicle knocked the children right out of their mother’s arms. She lived. They died. And that was ¾ of our front-page news in New Jersey.
Of course Victor bitched about this, but this time his bitching struck a chord, and immediately I had two thoughts. One. I needed to get to 7 WTC and document this history with some photos. Two. I needed to see just how many papers squandered this opportunity at history…good history. As I ventured out of my apartment building to head over to Lower Manhattan I stopped at the deli in our building and looked at the front page of all the papers. I also looked at the front page of every paper at the Hudson Newsstand in the World Trade Center PATH station. A grand total of ONE newspaper had the opening of 7 WTC on the front page. ONE! And to add insult to injury the text in that article barely talked about the significance of the 7 WTC opening. It harped on about the Deutsche Bank building to the south of the WTC site, and how its toxic contents and human remains that have been found throughout the building’s deconstruction have cast a shadow over the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. I wanted to throw up. Even the New York Times didn’t document this history on its front page!
So what was the missed opportunity and what does the opening of 7 WTC mean?
This building is the first building to be built at the World Trade Center since the 9/11 attacks almost 5 years ago. 9/11/2001 was the worst terrorist attack on American soil and it obliterated every building that was a part of the World Trade Center. The attacks left a void literally and figuratively in Lower Manhattan and in America as well. But instead of bowing down in the darkest moment of our history, we rose, looked the enemy in the eye and vowed that no attack would eliminate the resolve of our country. We promised we would bounce back and build again. And guess what? We are doing it!! The construction and opening of 7 WTC sends a clear message. You cut me down and not only did I grow back… I grew back stronger! The original 7 WTC was 47 stories tall and not the most handsome building. The new 7 WTC is a sleek composition of glass and steel that soars 57 stories. The building has set trends with regards to security design standards for high-rise buildings, and it is going for a coveted LEED certification, which designates its status as an environmentally considerate building. And even if folks think the new building is a piece of garbage, that still should not diminish the significance of this building rising from the ashes and rubble of the 9/11 attacks and showing the power and resolve of New York City and America. Somebody please tell me how in the hell this did not make the front page of our local papers. Today was truly a missed opportunity by the media in the history of our country.
--The Most Noble
I always knew that the media, particularly the news and newspapers, was basically a vehicle for delivering depressing news and nonsense constantly overshadowing the good that actually occurs in this world. However today that feeling resonated tenfold. The media missed the mark by a long shot today. I realized this as I sat with my coworker in the conference room while we were eating lunch. He was going through his typical lunchtime routine of perusing and skimming articles throughout the paper and bitching and moaning to his live audience. And today he noted that the opening of 7 World Trade Center was on the second page of the Star Ledger as opposed to the front. And of course ¾ of the front page, mostly a photo, was dedicated to the tragedy and grief of the mourning of two young children who were mowed over by a hit and run vehicle in Roselle. The vehicle knocked the children right out of their mother’s arms. She lived. They died. And that was ¾ of our front-page news in New Jersey.
Of course Victor bitched about this, but this time his bitching struck a chord, and immediately I had two thoughts. One. I needed to get to 7 WTC and document this history with some photos. Two. I needed to see just how many papers squandered this opportunity at history…good history. As I ventured out of my apartment building to head over to Lower Manhattan I stopped at the deli in our building and looked at the front page of all the papers. I also looked at the front page of every paper at the Hudson Newsstand in the World Trade Center PATH station. A grand total of ONE newspaper had the opening of 7 WTC on the front page. ONE! And to add insult to injury the text in that article barely talked about the significance of the 7 WTC opening. It harped on about the Deutsche Bank building to the south of the WTC site, and how its toxic contents and human remains that have been found throughout the building’s deconstruction have cast a shadow over the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. I wanted to throw up. Even the New York Times didn’t document this history on its front page!
So what was the missed opportunity and what does the opening of 7 WTC mean?
This building is the first building to be built at the World Trade Center since the 9/11 attacks almost 5 years ago. 9/11/2001 was the worst terrorist attack on American soil and it obliterated every building that was a part of the World Trade Center. The attacks left a void literally and figuratively in Lower Manhattan and in America as well. But instead of bowing down in the darkest moment of our history, we rose, looked the enemy in the eye and vowed that no attack would eliminate the resolve of our country. We promised we would bounce back and build again. And guess what? We are doing it!! The construction and opening of 7 WTC sends a clear message. You cut me down and not only did I grow back… I grew back stronger! The original 7 WTC was 47 stories tall and not the most handsome building. The new 7 WTC is a sleek composition of glass and steel that soars 57 stories. The building has set trends with regards to security design standards for high-rise buildings, and it is going for a coveted LEED certification, which designates its status as an environmentally considerate building. And even if folks think the new building is a piece of garbage, that still should not diminish the significance of this building rising from the ashes and rubble of the 9/11 attacks and showing the power and resolve of New York City and America. Somebody please tell me how in the hell this did not make the front page of our local papers. Today was truly a missed opportunity by the media in the history of our country.
--The Most Noble
posted by Charette at 12:26 AM
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