With that overview of the media's actual coverage of the events of September 11, I now want to talk about the high marks and the low marks for the media. In the days following the attacks on New York and Washington, the general public's perception of the news media changed dramatically. In the preceding years, the public had become very dissatisfied with the news. In polls, they criticized the news media as being too negative, too cynical, and too aggressive.

The public changed its mind following the attacks of 9/11: Approval ratings for the news media were higher than at any point since such polls had been conducted. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that close to nine in ten Americans approved of the news media in the aftermath of September 11—an amazing turnaround. In view of this crisis, the people and the press began to reconnect. I think the five major reasons for this shift were the media's ability to

     ·  provide a steady flow of information;
     ·  serve as an extension of government;
     ·  reveal increased humanity;
     ·  provide a public space for communication;
     ·  decrease distaste for public grief.