Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Proud to be part of the press
Media coverage of attacks proved even, insightful, informative
Commentary by Ram Luthra

After the horrific terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, President George W. Bush said, “The resolve of our nation is being tested. But make no mistake we’ll show the world, we will pass the test.”

The president and the nation will indeed face a difficult test.

But journalists all over the nation are being tested to objectively and extensively report the tragic events, while simultaneously presenting sorrow and sympathy as any other American patron would do.

One promise I made to the readers of the TCU Daily Skiff was that our coverage throughout the semester would present fair, balanced and impartial news. But in light of the attacks, our staff has been faced with the dilemma of maintaining this goal while trying to fully understand and consume the reality of this national catastrophe.

As a collegiate newspaper, our goal is to be professional and inform our audience — the TCU community. During this process, we will make mistakes and learn on the scene. This learning cannot be achieved overnight, but the entire Skiff staff was truly unified through this tragic event, as journalists and as compassionate citizens of our nation.

Journalists are supposed to position themselves outside the box and look in on events with detachment. They should not become emotionally intertwined with the news; rather they should sacrifice their own personal needs for the sake of the readers.

Journalists are public servants whose ultimate goal is to make a difference in people’s lives. In order to achieve this goal, journalists must provide as much information as possible. I can proudly say I have seen examples of how journalists have passed the test this past week.

As I watched ABC’s Peter Jennings throughout the week, I was reminded of why I wanted to be a journalist. Jennings subdued emotion and lost much sleep for the sake of all Americans. He responsibly provided every possible service to viewers all over the nation.

Similarly, I feel the Skiff and many other collegiate newspapers across the country did the same. These are the same students who also must manage going to class, finishing term papers, studying for tests and handling their social lives and other activities of college life. Despite all that, they fulfilled their commitments to provide the best source of information for you.

One of the primary duties and responsibilities of a journalist is to provide as many answers as possible in order to minimize the number of questions and doubts in a story. However, with a situation like this, so many questions arise. Why would anyone participate in such a hideous act? What went through the minds of the innocent passengers on the flights that crashed? What needs to be done to make everything all right again?

Every person in America is pondering these questions. But journalists are feeling helpless and ineffective because they live for the sole purpose of answering such questions.

The only solution to counter this feeling of helplessness is for journalists to be patient and understand there are no answers yet.

There might not ever be answers for this terrible human tragedy.

Despite the circumstances however, I fully believe the Skiff put out the best newspapers possible, regarding coverage, sensitivity, objective reporting and localized stories.

The country will try to return to some kind of normalcy. These terrorist acts will not divide the country. Rather it will unite us. It is needed in order for President Bush and the nation to pass the test.

While the nation focuses on its test, journalists are already on the right track with a test of our own. We begin to realize our duties to the nation and, most importantly, our profession. I have never been more proud to be an American. But most importantly, never have I been more proud to be an American journalist.

Editor in chief Ram Luthra is a senior news-editorial journalism and political science major from Fort Worth. He can be contacted at (r.d.luthra@student.tcu.edu).