The daily news cycle is a fascinating microcosm of our 21st century lifestyle.
We expect scheduled “breaking news” at 6, 8, and 10 p.m. and are blind to the fact that life’s timetable by no means mirrors our own. What happens in a slow cycle? When the demand for news outpaces actual occurrences? Well, the media spin machines kick into gear and networks look for something to placate the masses. Occasionally these local filler stories take on a life of their own and get blown way out of proportion.
That’s how a day of national mourning and remembrance almost turned into one of hate, vengeance and shortsightedness: 9/11/2010. International Burn a Quran Day.
That’s what Terry Jones, a pastor of a small church in Gainesville, Fla., decided in protest of a Mosque planned near ground zero. Like several other recent publicity stunts conducted by radical evangelical groups, Jones attempted to gain notoriety and media attention by announcing via Twitter that his following, 50 strong, would mark the anniversary of the September 11th World Trade Center attacks by burning a series of Qurans. This ploy was, apparently, supposed to both strike a blow to Islamic morale by desecrating their book of worship and serve as a rallying cry to the American people in the face of an overwhelming foe.
“We must send a clear message to radical Islam,” Jones declared. “We will not be controlled by their fear, we will not be dominated. We feel it is time for America to be America.”
Under normal circumstances, this would have been of little international interest. Qurans have, like the American flag, the Bible and other sacred objects, been destroyed in various forms of protest many times before. Unfortunately, Jones’ declaration coincidently (or strategically) came during a period when controversy over the construction of a Muslim Community Center near ground zero was at an all-time high. The national media decided to dramatize the entire issue.
As the 11th drew closer, the debacle escalated and the Middle East began to take notice. Protests in countries all over the world were organized. The U.S. military became nervous, anticipating deadly repercussions from Terry Jones’ display.
But here’s the interesting part: while in a CNN interview Jones stated that it would take a “deep conviction from God,” and acknowledgment of the “wake-up call” from Islamic leaders to bring about a change of heart, he later said that he may postpone or cancel the burning if he received a call from the Obama administration. Instantly, his colors were revealed as something other than 100 percent genuine. This wasn’t solely about sending a message to radical Islam. It suddenly became about Terry Jones and his precarious pedestal of a soap box. Ultimately, a phone call from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was made and President Obama’s pleas to cease and desist were heard — at least for the time being.
It’s already slowly slipping from the minds of the American public. But what did we learn from this overhyped escapade?
That moments like these serve as a reality check for people working in the fields of modern media. Our job is to present the citizens of the world with news, to provide the voiceless with a voice. I’ve been taught to always search for that story buried in the mundane happenings of an average Wednesday.
And yet here we are, presented with a situation where the best move could have been to go against generations of tradition and the very essence of journalism: to leave a story untold.
Fox News did just that. In an unprecedented move, spokesperson Michael Clemente announced that the news agency would not be covering the rapidly growing story.
This is an unusually brilliant move by both Fox News and Clemente. Instead of pandering to Jones and showering him and his associates with interviews, Clemente took the moral high ground and refused to sensationalize it.
What is our defined role as media in all of this? As professionals, our job is to bring news to the public. 
Every journalist has experienced that buzz of discovery, the rush of presenting a new story. But where do you draw the line between reporting something raw and fresh, and providing a stepladder for people desperate for a little attention? Journalists need to shoulder that responsibility and weed out the stories that are constructed entirely for TV time.
As professionals, we shouldn’t be giving voices to nutters like Terry Jones. We’re better than that. That’s what separates us from the bloggers and Twitter junkies; the ability to discern the nuggets of journalistic genius from the dross while simultaneously maintaining a high standard of professionalism and presenting information in an attractive, appealing way. That’s journalism.
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