The event started in a type of “calm before the storm” manner for me. I first heard the news on Sunday May 1st from my dad after he heard of it from a call from my aunt, who was in India where she told us the story was getting considerably more coverage. I didn’t have the strength to really reflect on it that night as it was getting late and I would need to get up so early the next morning. The next day, despite seeing the news plastered every paper in sight on the subway, I was honestly surprised that I didn’t hear much of the news about Osama’s death. By the time I got home though, the calm had official ended and the storm had begun. I could see the event and talk of it on every type of channel or medium imaginable. It ranged from stories online, the local news channels, and even status updates I saw while IM’ing. The vast number of sources just showed that “there is no mainstream media.” (Hanson 30) I talked with a Muslim friend and we both agreed it was a relief to see such a blight on his faith was eliminated. Another friend of mine used a fitting quote Obama said to describe the event, “Justice has been done.”
Without the media, Bin Laden’s death likely wouldn’t have left anywhere near the impression it did with it. The most obvious reason is that I’d never have been able to witness the actual event and got to see the tension surrounding the operation, as shown from that picture of the situation room, from the media. It’s also because of the media that I got to see the talk and debate surrounding the event and enjoy the humor and hysteria that accompanied it. One topic in particular was the releasing photos of his carcass to prove his death. I would likely have never really though of the implications if the media didn’t bring up the topic so frequently. I ultimately agreed with Obama that it was better not to release the pictures since I was, like most people, more than certain Osama’s destroyed body would incite terrorists given his importance to them. The media also gave me a chance to get a laugh out of the humor or hysteria surrounding the event. I found so many web sites which had so many Photoshop pictures mocking who was once the most feared terrorist on the planet. It also got a kick out of all the hysteria created by those who refused to believe Bin Laden was dead. Although, that came more from group communication on various forums and websites than it did any kind of mass communication.
The type of medium would have made little difference since the story was all over the place and there was a consensus among every source that told the story: Bin Laden’s death was something to cherish and that he definitely won’t be missed. Since every type of media also brought up the topic of releasing the pictures and also mentioned how the world went to mocking Bin Laden after he died, I would have found out about all of it one way or another. Although mockery of terrorists and to an extent Bin Laden was nothing new, as shown by Jeff Dunham’s “Achmed the Dead Terrorist” and the British film Four Lions, Osama’s death may have moved it to center stage with all of the photoshop pictures and jokes that were near ubiquitous on so many sites. In this respect, the medium may have made a difference given that something like this could easily be posted on the internet and pushed to mainstream while movies or television shows doing this may draw more controversy like Four Lions did on its debut in England.
In retrospect, despite how much good news we got out of Bin Laden’s death, it should not have been treated as a complete celebration like it initially was. Although it was certainty a boost to Obama’s credibility, it was not going to last after the media moved on to other stories and ended the fanfare that diverted attention away from unpleasant realities like our economy. Even though Al-Qaeda clearly suffered from losing their most charismatic leader, the organization still exists and remains a threat. The lasting reaction I generally saw was that while killing Bin Laden was defiantly worth it, it was by no means the end of the fight or the upcoming election. Nonetheless, it was a cultural thing for the media to cover a story like this for days on end, so the intense reactions were nothing out of ordinary. It matches the first expansion of the definition of culture in Baron’s text; this kind of coverage is a tradition we’ve acquired and become used to given how similarly intense our thoughts and reactions are to big news like Bin Laden’s death.
References:
Hanson, Ralph E. "Chapter 1." Mass Communication: Living in a Media World. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2010. Print.
S. Baran , "What is Culture?"
Utichi, Joe. "Terrorist Comedy 'Four Lions' Causes Major Controversy in UK." The Moviefone Blog. AOL, 7 May 2010. Web. 19 July 2011.
