Crikey’s role in this story has been carved out by our subscribers as follows:

Help us sort through the mass of information

Hello Stephen.

Well, as you said, we will “be getting saturation coverage from everyone else”.

It will be great to have a way of sorting through the masses of information that will come our way – to have an overview, an analysis of the information so we can form an objective picture of what has happened. I’d also like to be kept informed of the wider ramifications.

Maybe you can get a special guest writer to take over covering this arena. Maybe even an index page listing links of interest on this topic. There’ll be thousands of people looking for this sort of service.

Keep up the great work.

Oh, by the way, I’d still like to know what else is happening – as per your e-mails prior to this event.

Fernando

Do what you know best

Hi folks,

What Crikey does best is what you have you already started doing – so keep at it.

Analyse the spin and the adequacy of the media’s own responses. Track the distortions that arise and the motivations (both political and business) for these plus the business implications and the media reporting of this.

Anyone can report the stories – Stephen’s unique perspective can provide us with an understanding of the spin embedded in, and attached to, this reporting.

Thanks for your work so far, Brian

PS – very interesting context for the earlier reports last night. The mind had a significant shift to make from the well constructed fictional drama of West Wing to the unfolding chaos of the first direct reports on TV.

Watch for the selective US dislcosures

Please don’t knit

Hi Stephen – don’t do a Madam Defarge and knit! Do what you and your fellow writers like Hillary are good at – get behind the story. And while it pales into significance compared to what is unfolding in the US like it or not, we are due for an election in a couple of months and it’s imperative that politicians like Mouselini (Howard)do not use this to gain political advantage – you know, that’s why we had to stop all these refugees coming in here etc – they will not be so overt but just watch this space. It’s going to be a lay down misere for the Coalition unless media outlets like yours bring some sanity to the debate especially relating to refugees otherwise it’s Pauline Hanson in drag and Hyacinth back in the Lodge – oops sorry Kirribilli!

Yours very cycnically

Denise

You lack the resources

Stephen

Good coverage – particularly considering the circumstances. Well done.

As to Crikey’s role – Crikey doesn’t have the resources of the mainstream press; probably best, therefore, that Crikey monitors mainstream commentary and reports/collates information – and perhaps reports inconsistencies/spin etc.

No doubt there will be countless lines (acres?) of US (and other) Government “spin” over the next 72 hours as things unfold – for instance one early report had it that the area of the Pentagon damaged was an area “under renovation”. Later “up to 800 people may have lost their lives”. Perhaps the victims were all interior decorators ???

Keep up the great work.

Tony H

How is the online community covering this?

Hi Stephen,

I think Crikey does have a role in covering the US crisis. I’d be interested to see analysis of how the online community covers the situation. The way in which information fans out through forwarded emails is staggering. (see next email) It’s an interesting new source of news that completely bypasses the main media outlets.

Cheers, Merran

No personal accounts please

In regards to the happenings in America overnight and Crikey’s role…i wouldnt like to recieve personal accounts from locals in the affected areas. But, media watching and commentary as well as pointers to general internet coverage of this occasion,would be better as would a focus on the consequenses for the economy and stockmarket. I expect the media’s output to be constant but limited to what the US gov. wants to convey, so an analysis of spin would be relevant to me.

Good job, Andrew

Monitor the media and watch the conspiracy theories

Stephen,

Just quickly – well-handled on your reaction to the events in NYC in today’s e-mail I thought, especially considering the pressing time factor.

Great use of the internet as a very personalised information medium. Thoughtful and incisive – as always. (Thought the Lowy/WTC connection might be a bit of a long bow to draw though) And a nice line to conclude with too.

As to what ongoing role Crikey should play as the post-terrorism story unfolds – hmmm… monitoring the quality of the media coverage (in particular, pointing up some of its worst excesses) would be a natural of course. And as Crikey tends to deal better than most in off-the-record tips, briefings and contributions, maybe a call to subscribers – especially those in govt circles – might elicit some interesting speculation on intelligence matters.

At the very least you’ll receive some magnificently deranged conspiracy theories.

Cheers Dean

Break news and cover the internet

Stephen,

Hi. Unbelieveable. Good coverage from you so far. Not too much introspection. Break news for us please. You should concentrate on the internet angle most of your newsroom consumer won’t have time to explore or don’t have your knowledge to do as well. The chat rooms – what are they saying.. the islamic chat rooms, especially what about the abc website etc. cnn and fox news web sites I’ve found lacking because theyre not doing live video streaming and my tv is in another room while i try to write. In this case tv is God. You could compare coverage on the major papers. you may not have seen sydney but telegraph and Aus did a good job, ripping up teh first four-five six pages and printing photos and first persons from corrrespondents . Also Oz did Greg SHeridan chilling column. good turnaround. SMH was woefully inadequate in my opinion. They didn’t even take all of p1, left Tampa hamper on bottom. And that’s all they did – one story. The rest of the paper was unchanged.

Anon

Tap into your subscribers

SM, just keep reporting is probably your best way forward, with special focus on any info coming directly from your subscribers – it’s that network that we feel is valuable to be part of when it comes to crikey. It would also be very interesting to know your subscribers’ views on the coverage from media organisations they followed during the night and since – and also how some of the local organisations responded. For example, radio 2UE was still running “today’s birthdays” and stupid adverts while 702 ABC was into full reporting mode almost immediately. 2UE’s news director did come in fairly soon after but even so they took lots more talkback than was necessary when what we wanted was info. I just had the radio next to me while we followed on TV so checked out the commercial stations every now and again. 2GB was actually better in Sydney, but 702 and Newsradio 630 seemed the best in Sydney.

Sharon

Sort the wheat from the chaff

Steve

As you say, we are sure to get plenty of this from the mainstream media, so perhaps from you we should get the monitoring of the media, to help sort the wheat from the chaff. This is a lot of what you do anyway, and given this is the biggest story for the immediate future, you should get plenty of opportunity to rate the coverage, and check out the spin. Keep an eye on the Australian interest (timely reminder of Westfield’s interest for example) and perhaps some of the fringe stories.

Regards, Ric

Stick to your knitting

Stephen,

Stick to your knitting. Terrorism wins when it gets everyone to stop the economic and social cycles of the world. Deal with it as another news item; scan the business and news media. Report the business and direct people impacts as you learn them. There obviously enough specialist resources available to the US Gov’t to respond.

And remember that this is the price of freedom.

John

Brevity and no sentimentality please

Stephen, your inaugural piece is pretty-well the balance we need.

Brevity, pulling out key impact statements (Westfield) & social/religious integrity are my must-haves. Basically we need that rare commodity, real journalsim.

The brevity is critical. As the biggest impact, single, mass-media event in history we will be weighed down by information. Trivial sentimental introspective dross will be everywhere, in bucketloads.

God forbid this from being the first of a co-ordinated series of attacks.

Brian

We need objective and informed analysis

Hello Stephen.

Well, as you said, we will “be getting saturation coverage from everyone else”.

It will be great to have a way of sorting through the masses of information that will come our way – to have an overview, an analysis of the information so we can form an objective picture of what has happened. I’d also like to be kept informed of the wider ramifications. Maybe you can get a special guest writer to take over covering this arena. Maybe even an index page listing links of interest on this topic. There’ll be thousands of people looking for this sort of service.

Keep up the great work.

Oh, by the way, I’d still like to know what else is happening – as per your e-mails prior to this event.

Fernando

Good analysis please

Hi folks,

What Crikey does best is what you have you already started doing – so keep at it.

Analyse the spin and the adequacy of the media’s own responses. Track the distortions that arise and the motivations (both political and business) for these plus the business implications and the media reporting of this.

Anyone can report the stories – Stephen’s unique perspective can provide us with an understanding of the spin embedded in, and attached to, this reporting.

Thanks for your work so far, Brian

PS – very interesting context for the earlier reports last night. The mind had a significant shift to make from the well constructed fictional drama of West Wing to the unfolding chaos of the first direct reports on TV.

Watch for the selective US dislcosures

Stephen, well put.

I can’t offer any suggestions about options but (for me) one of the telling comments was your observation that the likely use of the media by the American authorities will be “selective” in terms of what gets out. Given that there is likely to be carnage by way of retribution, this is truly scary. It’s likely to bring out the very worst of the Americans (or, at least, out of those that drive America’s “foreign policy”). I find that quite frightening.

Keep up the good work, Stephen