US 9 1 1 Event Review

This is from Bai's new book "Are you happy?" You can read it:

Silent "9 1 1"

On the morning of 2001September 12, at about 0: 30/kloc-0, a middle-aged woman angrily pushed open the door of my office, pointed her trembling finger at my face and asked me bluntly, didn't you say you could see you as long as there was something important? Why didn't I see you yesterday?

This moment came suddenly, and I stood in silence, and other colleagues in the office were shocked. No one answered, and silence further filled the space. This moment is particularly long.

It seems that this elder sister doesn't intend to stay long, just to avoid spitting. As soon as her voice fell, she glared at me again and angrily turned away.

At that time, we were not working in Taiwan Province, but in the building opposite the west gate of the TV station. There are no strict guards outside the building, and there are many other office units in the building, so there is a scene in which the eldest sister breaks into our office.

I don't know this sister. Strangely, I haven't seen her since. Maybe I can't remember her appearance because of my guilty conscience when I was accused, or maybe she just came to condemn and didn't work in this building on weekdays; Even, I can't remember her face at all, because her words have impressed me deeply.

This accusation is justified, and I can't answer back; In other words, it's not me that she blames, but CCTV where I work.

The reason for this scene is that the "9. 1 1" incident shocked the world the night before, and during the spread of this incident, CCTV was almost speechless except for a short piece of news. At the same time, the media including Phoenix broadcast live all the time, which put CCTV in an awkward position.

What kind of silence and aphasia should this be?

A few minutes after the "9. 1 1" incident, I got a call from my classmate in Fujian. He probably got the information from the media in Taiwan Province province. He told me that something important had happened in America and paid close attention to the media quickly. Ask again: will you broadcast live?

I turned on the TV for the first time and searched comprehensively. At that time, there was no media coverage.

I immediately picked up the phone and called two directors, one was Time, then the general manager of Oriental Time and Space, and the other was Chen Yu, then the deputy director of the news review department.

The phone call was short, more like an order: something happened in America, as if it were true. Please let me know as soon as possible if you want to broadcast live. I am ready to go at any time.

Soon after the phone was put down, related live reports began to appear on TV, including Shanghai Oriental TV, Phoenix TV, and a TV station in the mainland as I remember it. The shocking news pictures like blockbusters are directly displayed on the TV screen, which makes me more anxious. My intuition tells me that this is a historic event, and we should not be absent by rights.

My home is five to ten minutes' drive from the TV station. As long as the live broadcast is arranged, I will be in place soon.

However, the phone rang slowly. The further development of news events and a minute's failure mean that news is rapidly dying out and entering the historical camp. Many people understand this truth. On the other side of the silent phone, it should be another phone. Strive, persuade, worry, expect ... All journalists have the same impulse and worry. I believe in time and Chen Yu, and I also believe that CCTV is the most essential impulse when facing big news.

The phone still didn't ring. When I turned on the computer, there was already a lot of noise on the internet. Sadly, almost all one-sided online messages are gloating.

At that time, I didn't know how many lives had passed away, and I didn't know how many China people would be in these lives. Maybe just a few years after the United States accidentally bombed China's embassy in Yugoslavia. Therefore, an anger cannot be eliminated. The unexpected arrival of "9. 1 1" has given many people a feeling of relieving their hatred. However, this is a terrible emotion, and what kind of indifference to life is hidden in this emotion.

Looking at these messages, I was thinking: if it is broadcast live in the future, what should I say and how to mourn my life?

However, I am doomed not to have this opportunity. The live broadcast of "9. 1 1" will not appear on CCTV screen. Therefore, CCTV will bear an unbearable burden for a long time.

The phone finally rang. At this point, the live broadcast of various media has passed more than half an hour. The call was made at that time, and the content was very brief: "Wash and sleep, it's over, no live broadcast."

I can hear the helplessness and pain of time. Of course, I can also hear the struggles and demands of CCTV people before, but everything will come to an abrupt end.

As a media, even CCTV naturally has an intuitive desire for news events, and the possibility of giving up such reports by itself is almost zero. Luo Ming, who later became the deputy director of the news department of CCTV, was in the United States. After the incident, he quickly confirmed the truth and contacted his family, hoping to provide support for possible reporting.

However, CCTV must obey orders, and I am just a pawn, so it is so insignificant to ask for a fight. Maybe some people are worried that our live broadcast will make us look at American jokes, so be more "atmospheric" and don't broadcast live. But it is precisely this "atmosphere" that is stingy and misses a real history.

Of course, when it comes to the reason, there are other versions of the explanation: the competent leader is not in China, he can't contact him, and he can't make his own decisions ... but no matter what version, the ending is the same, and we have missed the live broadcast.

That night, I almost didn't sleep. I believe that I was not the only one who didn't sleep at CCTV that night.

Eight years later, in 2009, I went to do "Yan Song sees America". In Washington, there is a news museum. On a display board, it was published by the most important newspapers in major countries in the world on September 12, 2006, the day after "9. 1 10". Almost the same choice, no matter which country's newspaper, the front page is "9. 1 1" that happened yesterday. The only exception is China's broadsheet, whose title is something else. "9. 1 1" is just a small tofu block, in other words, it is hidden.

This "exception" is too dazzling. It seems that Americans are puzzled by this "exception" rather than our "atmosphere".

It was the "9. 1 1" incident in the United States, but it left some "wounds" in distant China. However, thanks to this "wound", people began to collectively think about the responsibilities and obligations of the media.

The accusation of the elder sister mentioned at the beginning of the article is a disappointment after expectation and a conscience and responsibility beyond one's own interests. I will remember it all my life, although sometimes it is not enough for me to remember it alone.