Where USF faculty, students and graduates are invited to talk about journalism and its problems and opportunities. This blog is not affiliated with the University of San Francisco, nor is the university responsible for any of the opinions expressed herein -- though it is certainly responsible for the people who entertain those opinions, having educated them. They make us proud.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Writing about the Dead with Respect

Something else from our Journalism Ethics class.

After 9/11, the New York Times decided to do a brief obit for each of those killed at the twin towers that day. It turned into Portraits of Grief, a remarkable mosaic of pain and loss and catharsis.

Here's the link. I'm not sure if the portraits are behind the subscription wall or not. I hope not.

Click on the Reporters and Editors video for sense of the effect the creation of these pieces had on those who wrote and edited them.

3 comments:

Whitney Fry said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/11/national/portraits/POGF-12FRY.html?ex=1173416400&en=f7760b8d96af28ae&ei=5070

(I wish I knew how to insert hyperlinks!)
This is my uncle's portrait. I hate reading about all aftermath of 9/11, but this I think they did a wonderful job on these portraits.

gabriela salerno said...

I thought they did a good job of doing this in a respectful, personal, and touching way. My sister's ex fiancé has a portrait. They worked in one of those buildings together. My sister was in Boston at a meeting that day and the whole event affected my family and I a great deal. I'm pretty sure she and I and the rest of our family never want to read or hear about 9/11s aftermath again, but I agree with Whitney....these are nice because it doesn't seem like anyone is trying too hard to pull on heartstrings

gabriela salerno said...
This comment has been removed by the author.