YELLOW JOURNALISM IN A POST- 9/11 WORLD

By: Shahida Arabi, Stacy-Ann Ellis, Keisha Ramos, Deidre Thompson

After the Brazilian plane crash last Tuesday and
Thursday’s steam pipe explosion, memories of 9/11 are bound to resurface. The news plays an integral role in the fear that most New Yorkers may feel when they hear about such incidents.
“The news wants you to have that fear,” said Mavi Penzo, a 22 year-old New Yorker who has lived here all her life. When asked about the impact that 9/11 had on her, she responded that she would not let the paranoia overwhelm her. “Paranoia is ignorance,” she said.
“Things are going to happen regardless,” said Christine
Herrera, a Lehman College student, referring to news reports about 9/11 stirring fear and concern over future terrorist attacks.
The news sensationalizes the threat of terrorism in order to gain a wider readership, says Abdul Malik, a Puerto Rican Muslim convert. “It
has nothing to do with what is right or who is wrong,” he said.
“It’s about money, oil, and Israel.”
When asked whether he fears the threat of another terrorist
attack, Malik stated that the news was mere “yellow journalism.”
“I don’t fear any terrorist attack, nor should anyone
else. Live your life the way you want to live it.”