Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Televising 9/11 And Its Aftermath: The Framing Of George W. Bush’S Faith-Based Politics Of Good And Evil, Gary Edgerton

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

For most of the four days following 9/11, TV viewers around the world were mesmerised by unthinkable images. Television brought home to Americans especially the polarising effects of the post-Cold War world, including the backlash of Islamic fundamentalism and the imminent threat of future terrorist attacks. A formulaic narrative quickly emerged; ordinary police and firefighters took the lead as America’s national heroes, while Osama bin Laden and the rest of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rose up as villains. On September 12, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush gave voice to this mythic small-screen storyline as “a monumental struggle of good …