VA R I O U S M E D I A R E P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D R E A C T I O N

OSAMA BIN LADEN

INQUIRY QUESTION

How is the death of Osama Bin Laden portrayed as a narrative through the media both in the US and around the world?  How do these different media portrayals affect how this event and all mediated

events are understood and responded to by varying populations?

BACKGROUND: OSAMA BIN LADEN

Osama Bin Laden’s Life

• Founded Al Qaeda in 1988• Worked Hand in Hand with the US

in the fight against the Soviet Union’s invasion and occupation of

Afghanistan• After the first gulf war, shifted Al

Qaeda's focus to fight growing US presence in Middle East.

• May 1996, allied with Taliban • Throughout 1990s and early 2000s,

participated in several major terror attacks, several of which were

aimed at US

BACKGROUND: OSAMA BIN LADEN

Involvement in 9/11• On September 11, 2001, 19 Al

Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes, two of which

crashed into the World Trade Center. Another crashed into the

Pentagon and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

• Most devastating of Al Qaeda terrorist attacks of 1990s and early

2000s

• Nearly 3000 people were killed

BACKGROUND: OSAMA BIN LADEN

Osama Bin Laden’s Death

• May 2, 2011 in Pakistan in a ground operation based on US intelligence

• After the raid, he was taken to Afghanistan for identification

• Buried in the sea within 24 hours of his death

UNITED STATES MEDIA REPRESENTATION

UNITED STATES MEDIA REPRESENTATION

“Justice has been done” –President Obama

“The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat Al Qaeda.” –President Obama

“Bin Laden’s demise is a defining moment in the American-led fight against terrorism, a symbolic stroke affirming the relentlessness of the pursuit of

those who attacked New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001” –The New York Times

“It cannot ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones. It does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy and

the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil.” -Gordon Felt

“Al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and

human dignity.” –President Obama

UNITED STATES MEDIA REPRESENTATION

“The long search for the man seen as the embodiment of evil in the U.S. and

much of the West was over.” –Time Magazine

"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an

unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be

done.” –George W. Bush

“Bush said in a statement that Obama called him Sunday night to inform him of “the momentous achievement” of bin Laden’s death.” –Huffington Post

UNITED STATES REACTION TO DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

Celebrations of Death of Bin Ladenhttp://youtu.be/j_Zt-l8_M6s http://youtu.be/PsxRl2oeV5k

UNITED STATES REACTION TO DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

“The news touched off an extraordinary outpouring of emotion as crowds gathered outside the White House, in Times Square and at the ground zero site, waving American flags, cheering, shouting, laughing and chanting, “U.S.A., U.S.A.!” In New

York City, crowds sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Throughout downtown Washington, drivers honked

horns deep into the night.”

-The New York Times

MIDDLE EAST MEDIA REPRESENTATION

"He was gentle and very genuine. He was never nervous, never aggressive, always calm.” -Issam al-Turabi, a former friend of bin Laden's in Sudan

"America coming to our territory and taking action is a violation of our sovereignty, handling and execution of the operation [by U.S. forces] is

not correct. The Pakistani government should have been kept in the loop.” -Pakistani President

Pervez Musharraf

MIDDLE EAST REACTION TO DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

Supporters of the Pakistani religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, burn a representation of a U. S. flag during a rally to condemn the

killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in Kuchlak, 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, May 6,

2011.

MIDDLE EAST REACTION TO DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

A Pakistani woman shouts slogans during an anti-US protest in Multan on May

4, 2011, against the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama

bin Laden.

THE ZERO US MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS

“Remy felt a jolt of déjà vu, anticipating each

muted image before it appeared, and it occurred to him that the news had become the wallpaper in his mind now- banking wings, blooms of flame, white plumes becoming

black and then gray, endless gray, geysers of gray, dust covered gray

stragglers with gray hands covering gray mouths

running from gray shore-break…” (Walter 8-9)

THE ZERO US MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS

“And then the rows of news trucks, two dozen of them queued up for slow troll, grief fishing, block after block…” (Walter 12)

Reporter Brian Flynn visits Ground Zero on day after 2001 attack

THE ZERO US RESPONSES TO 9/11 MEDIA

Megan McFarlane (center) and other students in the Iowa Memorial Union react to news reports about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by

Danny Wilcox Frazier.

THE ZERO US RESPONSES TO 9/11 MEDIA

“A smaller sign quoted The President: “Our enemy are haters who hate our way of

life and our abilities of organization! We will

confound them!” (Walter 101)

“These bastards hate our freedoms. Our way of

life...And we will fight back!” (Walter 51)

THE ZERO DESIRE FOR A MEDIA DEVELOPED NARRATIVE

“Entertainment is the singular thing you produce now, you demand the propaganda of distraction and triviality, and it has become your religion, your national faith” (Walter 222)

“Sometimes, I think the people who watched it on TV saw more than we did. It’s like, the further away you were from

this thing, the more sense it made” (Walter 85)

“I haven’t turned off my TV since it happened. I was glued to the news coverage for the first few days. I even turned the TV so I could see it from the bathroom. I ordered out every meal

and just went from channel to channel, watching it from different angles, listening to the newscasters and the public

officials” (Walter 65-66)

THE ZERO USE OF MEDIA TO BENEFIT INDIVIDUAL“We’re turning Veterans Arena into a giant mid pit

to honor our dead heroes! Ten percent of all proceeds to go to the widows and orphans fund.”

(Walter 176)

“God Bless America. New Furniture Arriving Every Day.” (Walter 120)

“From the Ashes” reality show (Walter 205-208)

Police officer and firefighter on cereal box

THE ZEROIMPLICATIONS OF THE MEDIA

“You’re always convincing yourselves that the world isn’t what it is, that no one’s reality

matters except your own. That’s why you make such poor

victims” (Walter 222)

“The rest of the world wails and vows revenge and you turn on your televisions” (Walter 222)

“History has become a thriller plot” (Walter 150)

WORKS CITEDBaker, Peter, Helene Cooper, and Mark Mazzetti. "Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says." The New York Times. 1 May 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-is-killed.html?pagewanted=all>.

Chulov, Martin. "Osama Bin Laden Dead: Arab Reaction." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 May 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-arab-reaction>.

Garamone, Jim. "Obama Declares "Justice Has Been Done"" U.S. Department of Defense. 2 May 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63765>.

"Osama Bin Laden Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/osama-bin-laden-37172>.

Walter, Jess. The Zero. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.