Harry Moses, CBS news producer and documentary filmmaker, assessed the media’s handling of Sept. 11 at Simrall Hall auditorium Feb. 4 as part of this year’s Tommie and Donald Zacharias Lecture. Moses has been producing, directing, and writing for television for over 30 years. He is best known for heading the investigative unit of “CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.”
In 1994, Moses directed the drama “Assault at West Point” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Waterson, based on MSU history professor John F. Marszalek’s book “Assault” about one of the first African-American cadets to gain admittance into the United States Military Academy.
“The movie really was based on the handwritten transcript of a court marshal which took place in 1881, Moses said. In order to make the movie and write the script, I had to Xerox the handwritten transcript.”
Moses said he donated the copies of the transcript to Mitchell Memorial Library after the movie had been made.
Between filmmaking and journalism, Moses said he prefers the latter. “It is much more satisfying.”
As a journalist, he knows the extent the media played in the reactions of America to Sept. 11, which was the topic of his lecture.
Moses began with the responsibility of the media, which is to inform the public and advance the story.
“I think we did quite well in the beginning by reporting what we did know the calm way, the responsible way, without adding to the situation, which was already way past the point of combustion,” Moses said.
Since the anthrax scare and our invasion of Afghanistan, “we began dwelling on those subjects without advancing the story,” Moses said. “The news became an endless regurgitation of events that were no longer news.”
“I think they were afraid to leave it essentially. As a result, I think they fanned the flames,” Moses said.
“What my complaint with the news is is that we have devoted too much time to this story for too long,” Moses said.
“By doing so, we have ratcheted up the level of national hysteria, which is precisely the reverse of what journalism ought to be doing, by regurgitating the biggest news story in anyone’s recent memory without being able to advance it,” Moses said.
Moses said the Sept. 11 events are scary, but it should not have caused America to continue experiencing such “overwhelming angst.”
“Why have we chosen to go down this path?” Moses asked. “I truly believe that most of this blame could be laid at the media’s doorstep.
“What I’m asking my colleagues to do is simply this, report the news, but don’t dwell on it unless there’s more real news to report. By all means try to advance the story, but if you can’t, shut up.”
Students attending the lecture had remarks of their own about the media during Sept. 11.
“I always thought the media handled it very well, but there was no new coverage. It really opened my eyes to that,” MSU junior Amber Dukes.
MSU junior Marcus Daniels said, “It was like kicking a dead dog. Either have new developments or move on.”