As I'm sure you all are aware, 2021 marks two decades since the devastating terrorist attacks on the US that killed nearly 3,000 people. This year is especially ripe for reflection, seeing as the war in Afghanistan that started as a result of the attacks has finally come to an end. Here is how a selection of mainstream media outlets covered the anniversary.
Leans toward the right:
This is an opinion piece by James P. Pinkerton. The headline is honest about the author’s stance on how the US has handled foreign policy since 9/11, and this piece takes a critical look at how America has dealt with the war on terror for the past 20 years. For an openly right-leaning article, I found the author’s approach quite refreshing. Bush’s failure to take the presidential daily briefings about a terrorist threat seriously are mentioned, including Bush’s famous quote, “All right. You’ve covered your ass now.” Interestingly, Pinkerton attributes the quote to the wrong date, a common misreporting mentioned in the upcoming Huffington Post article. Pinkerton is not afraid to point out illogical aspects of Bush’s initial foreign policy response, noting that the administration focused on Afghanistan and Iraq despite Bin Laden “having used mostly Saudi Arabians...and Saudi money to perpetuate 9/11.” He points out that these actions led to Republican party losses in the 2006 midterms and the 2008 election. but that Obama actually expanded the war in Afghanistan with “2/3rds of casualties” occurring during his presidency. The recent evacuation of Afghanistan is characterized as ““the Biden administration’s disastrously ill-planned mission,” and while this is definitely not false, I found it interesting that the Trump administration’s initial negotiation of the withdrawal was left out.
Throughout the piece, Pinkerton calls those in power “the elites” and “the Establishment,” which is used to suggest that the powerful are alienated from the common people and often do not work in the citizens’ interest. Despite the weariness of much of the article, Pinkerton ends on a hopeful note which includes asking readers to “say a prayer” for the future of America. This openness about religion would definitely not be found in a left-wing piece and is unlikely to be found in a center article unless it directly relates to the topic. Overall, this is a thoroughly-researched, thoughtful piece on post-9/11 America, but it does contain dog-whistles for a right-leaning audience
Trends toward the center:
Associated Press: From 9/11’s ashes, a new world took shape. It did not last.
This piece from the Associated Press analyzes global foreign policy alignment in the post-9/11 era. Unlike the usual AP article, this one examines past events rather than reporting on breaking news. For that reason, I found this article to lean more toward an opinion piece than the neutral reporting usually expected from the AP. The first thing I noticed is that the headline is blunt and written to get the reader to click and find out more. The body of the article uses emotionally charged language to describe the aftermath of 9/11, noting that the attack “gave rise to the angry, aggrieved, self-proclaimed patriot, and heightened surveillance and suspicion in the name of common defense.” The article argues that the binary us versus them polarization of American politics began with Bush’s proclamation that “either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” and continues to affect us today. That said, this piece provides a more balanced view of Bush than the Breitbart article, which is notable since Bush was a Republican president. Whereas the previous article focuses on Bush’s failures to prevent the attacks and missteps in responding to them, this article mentions Bush’s efforts to ensure Americans that “Islam is peace” and that the attacks were perpetrated by extremists, not typical Muslims.
The scope of this article extends beyond the US, citing details about Islamic extremist attacks in Europe and the corresponding increase in popularity of Europe’s far right. Furthermore, it explores the global impact of the wars in the Middle East using statistics from Brown University’s Costs of War project, including that these wars are expected to cost over $6 trillion. As that figure suggests, the consequences of these attacks are ever-present even 20 years later. According to the article, surveillance, security, and militarization have all increased in these two decades, forcing everyday citizens to sacrifice some of their privacy and freedom for greater safety. While 9/11 caused sweeping changes on the personal and political levels, this article argues that the global togetherness that emerged in its aftermath was “largely undone by domestic political forces, a global economic downturn and now a lethal pandemic.” Overall, this article built its argument on a factual basis but I feel that it skewed more toward placing value judgments on certain events than a news source that claims to be neutral should.
Leans toward the left:
Right off the bat, this Huffington Post piece grabs the reader’s attention with a splashy headline. It utilizes a declarative statement that is not a proven fact, which correctly suggests that it skews toward an opinion piece rather than a news report. The author interweaves his personal story of 9/11 with a dangerous combination of stretched, misleading facts and accurate statistics. A few paragraphs in, Bush is described as “the unpopularly elected 43rd president, installed into the position by the five members of his political party serving lifetime appointments on the Supreme Court ― including one put there by his father,” which is no doubt a partisan position framed to support the author’s claim that Bush was incapable. Despite the biased moments, the article does feature facts drawn from multiple books about 9/11 and the aftermath. It covers Bush’s failure to yield to his presidential daily briefings as the other articles do, while distinguishing itself by comparing Bush’s response to that of Bill Clinton who reportedly ordered daily meetings with top officials when he was warned of possible terrorist attacks.
The human costs of 9/11 are covered thoroughly, including the murder of a Sikh man for wearing a turban on September 15th, 2001 and the hundreds of thousands of deaths (American, Afghan, and Iraqi) as a result of the wars on terror. Ultimately, the article makes a bold claim: the “often delusional thought of the regenerated right-wing” should be blamed on Bush and the aftermath of 9/11, not Trump or anyone or anything else. It’s a fascinating take, made effective by the fact that it cannot be proven or disproven. Overall, this piece is very left-leaning, though it never tries to deceive the reader or disguise itself as something it’s not. It’s an entertaining read, but not necessarily an accurate one.
My balanced take:
This year marks 20 years since the devastating acts of terrorism by Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda on the United States. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and other failed targets killed 2,977 people and sent the US and the world into a state of shock. According to the Huffington Post article, President George W Bush had received 36 presidential daily briefings warning about the threat of terrorism by bin Laden and al-Qaeda prior to the attacks. Following the devastation, Bush launched a series of wars on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. It took until 2011 before one of the main goals, the killing of Osama bin Laden, was achieved, but the wars have successfully prevented any further attacks by al-Qaeda on American soil.
The consequences of 9/11 are felt every day. The War on Terror has had substantial costs, both financially and in terms of human life. Increased security measures, such as TSA at the airport, has led Americans to sacrifice some of their freedom for the good of the whole. Meanwhile, discrimination against Muslim Americans and the wrongful portrayal of Islam as evil has been rampant in American culture since the attacks. September 11, 2001 changed America and the world as we know it. It should never, and cannot, be forgotten.
Comments
Post a Comment