Thoughts on 9/11 Anniversary

Every year on 9/11 there are specials about the day two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. However, this year is the tenth anniversary and millions are reflecting on 911.

I was just four years old, a child in kindergarten, when New York was attacked. Too oblivious to the hatred people can inflict, I remember seeing the images, but they didn't mean to much to me. I walked in my parents' bedroom after school on the eleventh and remember seeing the image of the two massively smoking buildings. My mom told me about it as best she could, explaining a national tragedy to a four year old, but after seeing the News I felt remarkably unaffected. While I went to go off and live the rest of my life that day, thousands of people were killed and and even more terribly injured, their lives altered forever.

This photograph speaks for itself of the magnitude of 9/11. Imagine trying to run away from that gray mass of soot! It's such a visually stunning capture of how extensive the damage was, especially with the white clouds of debris swallowing the other buildings.

I honestly think the media's attention towards this major anniversary was very well played. There was a tone of respect as the media chose not to constantly bombard with memorabilia-esque television specials, rather placing them here and there and the ones shown were very respectful towards the families that have suffered from this tragedy. I myself watched a few television specials regarding the anniversary, they honestly left my awestruck. The personal stories were heartbreaking and the images always do well to strike me speechless. Of course there are still images that probably should not be shown, such as a picture of a man crying in a car, or a fireman sitting down with his head in his hands. Pictures of destruction do well to capture the intense situation, but photos of people struggling emotionally seem a bit too personal.
    Photojournalists, especially on September 11th, 2001, have to monitor what they choose to photograph and/or record- it's a very sensitive situation for thousands of people and they have a very fine line to walk. They defiantly should think first, morally, before taking a picture.