How Has Media Coverage Of The 'War On Terror' Changed Since 9/11?

In a few days, the country will mark the 20th anniversary of a national tragedy - one that resulted in a conflict that ended only a week ago.

While the national media’s reaction in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 was largely supportive of the war, attitudes about the controversial foreign and domestic policy decisions that resulted from the attack have changed dramatically.

Critics have noted that American news media was overcome by a "veil of patriotism" when covering such conflicts, which often resulted in a failure to properly interrogate the nation's rationale behind the war.

As America looks back on the 20 years since 9/11, it also looks back on how the media has changed its coverage of one of the most complex armed conflicts in recent history.

Esteban Del Rio, a professor of communication studies at the University of San Diego, joined Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

"There wasn't a measured, critical response in mainstream media at the time," Del Rio said. "Twenty years later, you can see that."

Listen to the full interview here:

In the 20 years since 9/11, American media coverage of the War on Terror has changed drastically from initially supportive to deeply critical.

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Jade Hindmon is KPBS Midday Edition co-host. Prior to making San Diego home, Jade worked in markets across the Southeast and Midwest, building a network of sources to tell the stories of people in each community. She worked as a multimedia journalist and anchor at WRTV in Indianapolis. While there, she launched “The Weekend Edition of Good Morning Indiana” and generated breaking news content for both broadcast and digital platforms. Prior to Indianapolis, she was an anchor and multimedia journalist at FOX Carolina in Greenville, SC. As part of that Emmy Award winning team, she covered elections, landed exclusive interviews, and interviewed presidential candidates. Jade also had the opportunity to cover international news and was able to travel to South Africa during the 2010 World Cup. Jade is a three-time Emmy nominee, a National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Finalist, and the recipient of a South Carolina Associated Press Award. She is a proud graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

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Harrison Patiño is a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition". His primary roles include story development, and is involved in the audio production and coordination of interview subjects. Prior to joining KPBS, Harrison held various positions at Hawaii Public Radio within its news and music departments. While pursuing a double major in journalism and classics at The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Harrison worked at the school's student-run radio station, KTUH. After graduating, Harrison served as a community advisor for the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Student Media Board.