Unwilling witness

BY SONJA OSTROW

LEO SHKLOVSKII/YH Many headlines, one story.

In his description of the Persian conquest of Babylon in his History, the fifth-century Greek historian Herodotus declares that the city of Babylon was so large that many of its inhabitants were unaware that the city had been captured until it was far too late to respond. Contrast that with the modern response to tragedy: the world knew about the events of Tuesday within minutes of the first airplane crashing into the World Trade Center. The Babylonians would no doubt be envious of this rapid transmittal of these attacks, as well as the variety of media available for the communication. For better or for worse, our current media has more than the power of speedy delivery in its hands. It influences judgment and exacerbate fears. The media clearly plays a dominant role in our understanding of current events; but to what extent has its omnipresence and immediacy affected our emotional responses to the recent tragedy?

Throughout Tues., Sept. 11 and the following days, many Yale students and Americans in general found themselves glued to their televisions or computer monitors, the radio, or the newspaper. For some, the media onslaught was both unexpected and unwanted. Lauren Suchman, BK '05, was one such student. Her radio alarm clock greeted her on Tuesday morning with a report on the horrific events. She then went to the gym, where every television relayed coverage of the terrorist attacks. Later she watched the report on CNN in her college. The images of the attacks and their aftermath, she says, "were traumatic."

Yet such images were unavoidable. Most newspapers were (and continue to be) filled with photos of and commentary on the day's events, while news stations play the same footage of the airplane crashes over and over again. Jerome L. Singer, a professor of psychology who studies the effects of television on cognition, emotion, and aggression in children, stressed that young children are particularly sensitive to coverage of such traumatic events, and suggested that children below the age of six should not be exposed to the tragedy at all.

But while we like to think that only children need to be protected from the media onslaught, Singer suggested that even teenagers and adults are vulnerable. He emphasized that the media coverage has had both positive and negative effects on mature viewers. "On one hand, the media performs a public service" by disseminating needed information, he said. But it also "created a tremendous amount of anxiety beyond what is necessary or functional"; such coverage "may not promote the best type of judgment." Many people have experienced irrational fears of flying and flashbacks to past war situations as a result of images in the media. Singer also noted that studies have shown heavy viewers of violent television programs to be more likely to have negative thoughts in general, and it is possible that these results extend to the violence portrayed in news programs.

The media coverage of the past few weeks has brought into question the distinction between news and entertainment. A frequent comment on campus was "It's like a movie!" And the extraordinary nature of the events did inevitably draw comparisons to action films. But for some people, there may have been another process at work. As Dr. Lorraine Siggins, chief psychiatrist at University Health Services, noted, "as we're trying to process difficult events, putting these events into a context that is familiar and less frightening can be helpful."

Talley Lambert, SM '03, felt that the comparisons to movies were a result of the unbelievable nature of the tragedy. But he also remarked that perhaps the media plays a greater role than we realize in shaping our perceptions of such events. He commented, "the media loves to glorify things, even of this devastating magnitude, by placing big scrolling titles like 'America Under Attack' on their screens. Maybe half the reason we keep comparing it all to a movie is a result of how the media keeps presenting this to us."

At times the media coverage seemed to reflect the push of commercialization rather than the desire to inform. To Caroline Massad, BK '05, the endlessly replayed footage of the airplane crashes "seemed a little manipulative." She felt that such repetition actually made people feel more distant from the events, because they were portrayed as entertainment. On the other hand, because many stations offered 24-hour coverage, they appeared to be constantly searching for new material, with the result that many unrelated events were blown out of proportion, exacerbating the worries and grief of many viewers.

So is the media the "bad guy"? According to Siggins, it depends on the individual. For some, "the media has been helpful in giving a sense of control . . . for others, the vividness of the reports does seem to increase anxiety."

In other words, emotional responses can't be generalized. Even as the nation comes together in a show of solidarity, it is clear that people's reactions vary widely. It is also clear that many citizens are very aware of the role of the media in their lives. While we most likely will not experience the communication problems faced by the Babylonians, events like these remind us that this fact can be both a blessing and a curse.

Related Articles

• Experts: Trauma, fear natural reactions , CNN (Sept. 14, 2001)
  
• Nation's Mental Health Suffered a Major Blow , LA Times (Sept. 21, 2001)
  

Other Resources

• Learning Through Play, Early-childhood education program developed by Prof. Jerome Singer
  
• Mental Hygiene at YUHS , Counseling and advisory resources for the Yale community