The Shock of the News: Media Coverage and the Making of 9/11

by Brian A. Monahan

Overview

How did the events of September 11, 2001 come to be thought of as 9/11? The Shock of the News is an authoritative account of post-9/11 political and social processes, offering an in-depth analysis of the media coverage of this momentous event. Brian Monahan demonstrates how 9/11 has been transformed into a morality tale centered on patriotism, victimization, and heroes.
Introducing the idea of “public drama” as a way of making sense of how media processed and packaged the 9/11 attacks for their audiences, Monahan not only illuminates how and why the coverage took shape as it did, but also provides us with new insights into the social, cultural, and political consequences of the attacks and their aftermath. Monahan explains how and why 9/11 became such a potent symbol, exploring how meanings and symbols get created, reinforced, and disseminated in modern society. Ultimately, Monahan offers an important new understanding of this singular event of our time, and his compelling narrative brings the momentous events back into focus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814795552
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	03/29/2010
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Brian A. Monahan is Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Marywood University."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Preface xi

Part I

1 Introduction: Understanding Public Drama 3

2 News as Public Drama: The Era of the Endless News Cycle 18

3 Making Public Drama: Telling a Good Story 39

Part II

4 Framing September 11: Overview of the Media and the Audience's Response 55

5 Seeking Sense amid the Shock: The Coverage on September 11 70

6 The Drama Is in the Details: Dramatic Amplification at Ground Zero 95

7 A Nation's Tragedy: Cultivating Emotionality at Ground Zero 117

Part III

8 America's Heroes: New York's Firefighters in the Spotlight 135

9 To the Stars Go the Spoils: Moral Currency and the FDNY 154

10 September 11 and Beyond: Public Drama in the Twenty-first Century 171

Notes 183

Bibliography 203

Index 217

About the Author 221

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Well-written and engaging, Brian Monahan’s book should become a landmark in media analysis.”
-Joel Best,author of Damned Lies and Statistics

“Anyone who wishes to understand how the attacks have been understood and the policy choices we made needs to read this poignant and skeptical book.”
-Gary Alan Fine,author of The Global Grapevine: Why Rumors of Terrorism, Immigration, and Trade Matter

"The Shock of the News is a must-read for researchers engaged in media analyses or studying anything related to the September 11th terrorist attacks. It would be an excellent addition to undergraduate and graduate classes in media analyses or media and society."-Michelle D. Byng,Critical Sociology

Editorial Reviews

"Well-written and engaging, Brian Monahans book should become a landmark in media analysis."

Joel Best

"The Shock of the Newsis a must-read for researchers engaged in media analyses or studying anything related to the September 11th terrorist attacks. It would be an excellent addition to undergraduate and graduate classes in media analyses or media and society."

Critical Sociology - Michelle D. Byng

"Anyone who wishes to understand how the attacks have been understood and the policy choices we made needs to read this poignant and skeptical book."

Gary Alan Fine

Well-written and engaging, Brian Monahan’s book should become a landmark in media analysis.”
-Joel Best,author of Damned Lies and Statistics

“Anyone who wishes to understand how the attacks have been understood and the policy choices we made needs to read this poignant and skeptical book.”
-Gary Alan Fine,author of The Global Grapevine: Why Rumors of Terrorism, Immigration, and Trade Matter

From the Publisher