TERRORISM: 2001 09 11

Nothing that appears below is intended to minimize the horror of the criminal acts of terror perpetrated on September 11, 2001. The intention is to apply some media education principles to a situation which must not be ignored in the media classroom. However, these activities/suggestions must not take the place of or precede the far more important educational task of finding an emotional equilibrium for the students who are likely to be still in a state of shock after "witnessing" these events. Be careful of undertaking ANY solo or individual activities at this time. Students need to work in a COMMUNITY as they come to terms with this topic.

Older and mature students may be prepared to examine the concept that the next few days hold tremendous potential for influencing the populace through the media.

Begin a dated class collection of all coverage of this event in all the media available to you:
- newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, Internet, buttons, T shirts, bumper stickers, posters, flyers, mass-mail items.
- if possible, collect a few samples of coverage from countries other than the US and Canada
Create a class mural using clips from media sources, and attach personal tributes, thoughts, prayers, poems etc.
List the events that happened as accurately as you can. Quote your sources and comment on any discrepancies from source to source.
Use the following groups of words as a vocabulary study exercise, and apply them to the events of September 11, 2001:
- Catastrophe, disaster, tragedy
- Terrorism, war, infamy
- Retribution, revenge, retaliation, response
- Xenophobia, racism, stereotype
- Fanaticism, dogma, patriotism
- Assertion, speculation, assumption, insinuation, distortion, hearsay, propaganda, fact.
List the uncertainties that still remain: factual, political, social, personal.
Twelve hours after the attack, President Bush addressed the American Public. The aim of terrorism is to destabilize a nation and promote fear. As President of the United States, Mr. Bush's address must both reassure the American public and send a strong message to the terrorists. Review his address with students. What were its main messages? What imagery does he use? Who else acted as the government's voice that day?
Explore the differences in perception that various class members have of the disaster. Can any of it be attributed to media coverage? If so, how?
Examine some media reports, editorials and opinion pieces and analyze them for:
- Exaggeration/restraint
- Bias/fairness
- Emotional language/factual language
- Appeal for action/appeal for calm
- Reaction/under-reaction/overreaction
During the early coverage of this tragedy, television stations repeated footage of a group of Palestinians celebrating the attack. Many members of the Islamic community fear that the general public will interpret this footage as support by most Moslems for terrorist acts like these. Indeed, a mosque in Montreal was fire-bombed in the day after the attack. Students should be given the opportunity to discuss the importance of maintaining perspective and avoiding prejudice and discrimination.

False syllogistic reasoning is where an incorrect conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed premises. For example:

All ducks are birds
This is a bird
Therefore this is a duck

Apply this to the reasoning that may lead to the targeting of whole ethnic or religious groups after the criminal terror in New York and Washington 2001 09 11.

To provide historical perspective, read aloud parts of the novel Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, or screen extracts from the Scott Hicks film, concentrating on the concept of the treatment of Japanese citizens in Canada and the USA after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

(For more lesson ideas on this topic, see the October 2001 edition of Barry's Bulletin.)