We must dissociate the attacks themselves from the intense media barrage that followed. Under the guise of providing information, the press seemed intent on inflaming our most negative feelings of fear, hatred, and grief. While the attacks were no doubt emotionally distressing, the psychological trauma was amplified a thousandfold by the nonstop and repetitive coverage.
Stephen E. Silver Santa Fe, N.M.
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.