Critical Analysis I

Thomas Kissane September 15, 2007 COMM320- AL1 Critical Analysis I: Bloomberg and 9/11 The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have had haunting effects on New York City. The city’s skyline is scarred with an omnipresent reminder of that dreadful day. In her article entitled “Bloomberg Tries to Move the City Beyond Its Grief,” journalist Diane Cardwell explores New York’s struggle to move beyond the horrific events that have left an indelible mark on the city’s skyline and on the hearts of its citizens. The article’s title places Mayor Bloomberg in the forefront of rebuilding the city and raises many questions. How exactly is Mayor Bloomberg rebuilding the city? Why is the city so reluctant or unable to move forward after six years of grief? By using the five steps of the critical analysis process (Description, Analysis, Interpretation, Evaluation, and Engagement), readers can answer these questions and understand why this article is an effective media product. Description: The object under critical analysis is a front-page story in the New York Times. It is from the September 12, 2007 newspaper edition. Diane Cardwell is the author of the article entitled, “Bloomberg Tries to Move the City Beyond Its Grief.” Beneath this bold headline are two subtexts descending in textual size. The first subtext reads, “A Sept. 11 Compromise.” The other subtext below this states, “Searching for a Balance Between Recalling and Rebuilding.” This article is employing the Inverted-pyramid style of reporting by summarizing the most important and central details to the article first. The article begins on page A1, which contains five paragraphs, and stretches to page A24 with twelve paragraphs. The main subjects of the article are Mayor Bloomberg, the victim’s relatives, and New York City. The first

paragraph of the article presents a conflict between Mayor Bloomberg and the victims’ families over the location of the 6th year commemoration ceremony for the terrorist attacks. The author uses this conflict as a springboard to explore a larger central theme: Mayor Bloomberg is effectively rebuilding New York City. The majority of the article is devoted to the Mayor and he is commonly associated with the words compromise and reconstruct. On the other hand, the victim’s families are described as grief stricken, and emotional. The article features two photographs. The first photograph is located on the front page of the article, just below the crease. The photograph captures a silhouetted spectator looking upon a large exhibition of photographs from 9/11. The spectator is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the photograph with his back to the viewer. The photographs on the wall are tightly compacted and appear to be overlapping at the top. The second photograph is located on page A24 of the article. The photograph shows Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Bloomberg adjourning from an important meeting. The two are walking through open doors. Pelosi is smiling and Bloomberg has a stern countenance and is glancing to his side. Analysis: A close look at the elements of this article reinforces two obvious themes: Mayor Michael Bloomberg is making progress towards reconstructing New York City and the city is still grieving from the terrorist attacks. The majority of the article is dedicated to demonstrating how Bloomberg is reconstructing New York. The article credits Bloomberg as compromising with the victims’ families over the location of the ceremony, how the names would be listed on the memorial, and even is shown as compromising with a pay raise for protesting construction workers at ground zero. The mayor argues that it is time to “stop the mourning process and start moving forward.” Moving forward is exactly how the author portrays Mayor Bloomberg. The article acknowledges him for “fixing the many pressing problems

wrought by the terror attack” and “closing the gaping hole in the midst of Lower Manhattan.” The article praises the mayor for increasing the city’s security, reconstructing ground zero, improving the economy of the city, and fund-raising for the memorial. The photograph on page A24 that accompanies the article demonstrates this exact theme. The photograph is of Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Bloomberg adjourning from an important meeting. The subtext below the photograph reads, “Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, discussed homeland security funds for the city with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg yesterday.” This photograph reinforces the article’s depiction of Mayor Bloomberg as working tirelessly for the city and progressing forward through open doors. Furthermore, his stern complexion in the photo aligns with the article’s descriptions of Bloomberg as a pragmatic man that “prefers to keep his emotions to himself.” Contrary to its depiction of the mayor, the article portrays the city as stagnant in the stages of mourning. As the title of the article suggests, the city and relatives are grief stricken and unable to move past the tragedy. The article, however, does not sufficiently provide the perspectives of the citizens. Specifically, the perspectives of the working class would be extremely valuable in determining how much progress has actually been made and on what scale. Their perspectives would have added a major dimension to this article. The article has only one quote from a victim’s family member. The widow states that despite all the progress made towards moving forward, there are still times where she feels like “lying down and dying.” This quote encompasses the article’s depiction of the relatives as scarred from their losses. This theme is vividly captured in the photograph accompanying the front- page portion of the article. The shadow that is draping the identity of the spectator within the photograph is the same insidious shadow that the attacks have cast upon the entire city. Furthermore, the crowded display of the

exhibition within the photo evokes the reader with a sense of how devastating and overwhelming the attacks have been on the city. Interpretation: Why is it meaningful for the New York Times to emphasize that Mayor Bloomberg is reconstructing the city? One reason could be that the anniversary of the attack was the day before the article was published and created an uneasy atmosphere. The entire city was reminded of the chaos and vulnerability they experienced that day. As a result, citizens and the media will begin to question their safety and assess the progress the country has made since the attacks. This article could be intended as a source of reassurance that everything is progressing fine. Furthermore, it can be interpreted as a source of inspiration and encouragement for the grieving city to continue moving forward with their lives. A second reason could be to preserve the reputation of Mayor Bloomberg. The dispute over the location of the commemoration ceremony makes Mayor Bloomberg appear insensitive. This article puts Bloomberg’s intentions in perspective and preserves his image. Evaluation: This article serves as a sufficient media source because it takes on the watchdog role by examining the progress of our social institutions and our leaders. It protects democracy by informing citizens, raising questions, and instigates reactions. It examines how much progress Mayor Bloomberg has made in reconstructing New York City and demonstrates how the city is still grieving. The article, however, is not completely unflawed. One of the major weaknesses of the article is its ability to voice the opinions of the widows and citizens. Additionally, the article lacks primary sources such as direct interviews and opinions from Mayor Bloomberg and citizens. Instead the author uses previous statements and incorporates them into the article. This gives the article a recycled tone. Additionally, the article fails to portray the events of the ceremony the day before. Was everyone satisfied with the

commemoration ceremony? How do citizens feel about Mayor Bloomberg’s progress? It is true that actions speak louder than words and it is evident that Mayor Bloomberg is working towards progression in New York City. The article succeeds in demonstrating this. Engagement: A great way to engage myself in this issue would be to write Mayor Bloomberg a letter that questions his intentions and plans for the city. Additionally, I could investigate other media sources to get an unbiased perspective on how much progress the mayor has actually made. Lastly, I could investigate the opinions of New York citizens. I could call my friends in New York City and question them about the mayor and his reconstruction process. Also, I could write the victim’s families and inquire them about the Mayor’s work in office. These activities would enable me to develop my own conclusion on Mayor Bloomberg and would also help shape the cultural environment.