My best friend called me Thursday afternoon, from my hometown in West Virginia, and the first thing she said was a frantic, "Where are you?"
I sat down on my bed, waiting to hear that someone had died, when she said it's all over the news that there's a terror alert on the subway. She just wanted to make sure I was safe.
I flipped to CNN, to find screaming red graphics and "Breaking News" banners that there's a "heightened alert" on the subway. No mention of the threat, the lines that were affected or warnings against riding the subway. Instead the broadcast was cutting from Wolf Blitzer standing in front of a full-screen subway map to aerial views of Manhattan that seemed ominously waiting for something to explode.
In fact, as the camera showed commuters bustling in and out of a 34th Street station, Blitzer interviewed an official (whose title I missed) who said there was no reason for people to not be on the subways at that very moment.
As an announcement from Mayor Bloomberg and police officials revealed moments later, there was a threat called in but it was "not viable." The mayor proudly stated he would be taking the subway home that evening. The rest of the press conference was typical of our post-9/11 world: People should ride the subways as usual, there will be added police presence and, sorry, but we can't speak specifically about the threat.
According to CNN, New York City officials preferred to go ahead and let the public know so that it could decide whether or not to take the subways, while the federal government sat on the threat for a few days to try to verify what ended up being not verifiable.
But CNN decided to bombard its viewers with the idea that sure danger was ahead. The coverage, the graphics, the music - all of it scared me, and I was in my apartment.
The world is scarier now, and it is hard to tell what will end up being dangerous and what will end up being rumor. CNN was right to stay with the story, but it shouldn't be making me freak out while the mayor of New York City is telling me it's OK to get on that C train. The more calmly journalists report the news, the more calmly viewers can react if they need to.
Emily Dumas @ October 6, 2005 - 7:36pm
After coming home from a dinner out, it was funny to read everyone's blog about the subway threats. I am going home tomorrow, and called my parents about what time they should pick me up. As soon as I called, I didn't get a hello, but an, "Are you okay? Where are you?" from my mother. I had no idea what was going on, though after she told me, I thought back to the cop I had seen on my way uptown via the 6. Though they often play that message over the subway system speakers, that cops can check people's bags at any times, I rarely ever see one underground. I found it odd but fitting that after actually talking to my parents, who are very far from taking the subway anytime soon, that they were much more scared than I was. Leave it to CNN....
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