AFTER DEADLINE
9-11 needed new approach this year

By Anne Harpham

In Hawai'i and across the country, ceremonies and moments of silence marked the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

The nation stopped to remember the loss and horror of what has been called our second day of infamy. It will long be a day for reflection.

When editors at The Advertiser started thinking about how we wanted to cover the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we agreed the coverage should be thoughtful and understated, much less prominent than on the first anniversary.

Last year, we published a special section in addition to extensive coverage of events marking the day and stories on how Hawai'i was affected.

Readers had told us as we approached that first anniversary that they wanted us to help people find meaning, help explain how our lives and our world had changed.

Sept. 11, 2002, had a special significance. The nation was still struggling with emotions of the day, the changes in our lives and the realization of what the war on terror meant. It was also a day for us to grieve again for the lives lost and grieve with those living with that loss.

The significance of Sept. 11 was not diminished on the second anniversary, and we gave careful thought to how we should approach coverage.

"We wanted to put emphasis on the lingering effects of 9-11 on our daily lives in Hawai'i, how it still affects the economy, security, government spending," said Executive Editor Jim Kelly.

On Sept. 11 and 12, we published a total of eight stories that looked at the events on this anniversary as well as the lasting impact of the attacks. It was significantly scaled back from our coverage last year.

"I think everyone is still pretty raw about 9-11, and editors were conscious of overloading readers with anniversary coverage," Kelly said.

Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative. Reach her at 525-8033 or aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com