Tough decisions

For the media, one of the few things more difficult than covering a national tragedy is covering that date’s anniversary. Six years removed from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, we were tasked with creating a new, thought-provoking way to remember that fateful day without telling the same story over again. \nSo we made a conscious decision to not just rehash the same coverage we did last year when we wrote several articles talking to students who were directly affected or were in New York or Washington at the time of \nthe attacks. \nInstead, we decided to prominently feature a cover of a panel discussion from Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, a group that questions the validity behind what we know about the attacks. By putting the article high on our front page, we knew such a controversial topic would evoke \nvarious responses. \nDuring our daily budget meeting Monday, where editors convene to plan the placement of page one stories, we discussed and debated whether this story should run that high. I decided that, because of the relevance of the day and the large number of people attending the local event, the article should run at the top of page one. Also I believe bringing opinions – even unpopular ones – into the public light allows readers to come to their own conclusions and strengthen their views on the topic. \nTuesday when the story ran, I fielded several calls and e-mails from readers who were unhappy that we played the story so notably. Most of these readers recognized, and even appreciated, seeing viewpoints that counter their own in the paper. However, most said they would have liked to see another story giving more tribute to the day. \nWhile I admit this scenario might have been ideal, we planned to cover the memorial vigil held Tuesday on campus to run in today’s paper instead of doing another memorial story in \nTuesday’s paper. \nAs is common in daily newspapers, we were presented with a problem where some readers could reach the conclusion that we are not balanced when they saw Tuesday’s paper. However, looking at our coverage from both days, it is my hope that perception is no longer present. \nStill, I thank everyone who responded with positive and negative comments about our coverage. Letting us know your concerns can only help our coverage in the future. And if you still would like to comment, I encourage you to call the newsroom at 855-0760 or send an e-mail to me at editor@idsnews.com.