Reflections from Ground Zero on September 11th — Fake news reaches the real world
September 11th is a poignant day of remembrance for thousands around the world such was the scale of the tragedy in 2001. In New York, though, that sense of poignance is even more defined. Amongst the touching tributes and swathes of remembers, there were things that stood out — tourists missing the occasion with strange photo-ops are regrettably to be expected: more disturbing were the preachers and spreaders of disinformation that were more abundant than ever.
Emerging from the Oracle on September 11th there was instantly a different feeling at the 9/11 memorial. The huge site that occupies the entirety of the area where the two towers stood had all of the roads around it closed and despite the huge crowds of those paying their respects, there was an eerie silence about the place that created a truly special atmosphere.
Onlookers were of all types; there were those clearly remembering loved ones, survivors, members of the public with no connection like myself and first responders from countries around the world in uniform and recognising the lives lost. In fact, one of the most touching tributes, I witnessed was a trombone salute by three French firefighters alongside the South Memorial Pool.
The evening before I was privileged to witness more moments of touching remembrance from the memorial in Montclair, New Jersey. It was a truly remarkable spot to see the sky illuminated by the annual ‘Tribute in Light’. The sky was ablaze by the two streams of light projected from Ground Zero alongside a perfect full moon. This particular memorial is found on the tallest ridge in New Jersey with a striking view across the river to Manhattan and the night before the official day of remembrance had a similar air of special respect that I witnessed the next day in the city.
One thing jumped out about the day though, and it really did disturb me. All around the block of closed roads and those remembering loved ones lost were a proliferation of people preaching conspiracy theories and blatant disinformation. Accompanied by huge billboards, these were not well thought out and expressed doubts over the inquiry but simply disrespectful narratives topped off by one who quite extraordinarily was claiming that the death toll was really a mere 15 as opposed to 2977.
What this speaks to I don’t know, but a pair of NYPD officers had their theories when they spoke to me. They said that this year, after two disrupted by COVID, was the first time since the true escalation in the presence of ‘fake news and disinformation online had been a chance to manifest itself in person. Both of them told me that they had never before seen so many of these ‘preachers’ and blamed the radicalisation of social media platforms. One of them told me: “In past years there was always the odd one, this time it’s different, they are everywhere and they aren’t showing any respect or recognition of the tragedy. For them this is just another game”
What this says about America as a whole is worth considering, and there certainly has been a pattern of misinformation growing across social media that was perhaps most evident in the Capitol Riots of January 6thand the resulting debate and trials. Recent coverage of the seizure of documents in Mar-A-Lago has seen similar interactions online.
The next question is whether this now begins to spread across into in-person events like seems to have happened in New York this year. Only time will tell, but I for one certainly hope that occasions around the country and the world remain dominated by the touching displays of affection and remembrance that still dominated Ground Zero this year.
