D-Day
We violated an unwritten cardinal rule of newspapering this morning. It is June 6 and we didn't have a story about the 64th anniversary of D-Day. A reader writes:
It was very disturbing to my husband and me to read today's News & Record and find no mention of WWII: D-Day. The beginning of the Allied Invasion of Germany with troops landing in Normany. It is because of the bravery and love of country of the troops of that war and other wars that we enjoy the freedoms of this great country of America. Other newspapers in much smaller cities have headlines and articles on this historical event. On June 6th, 1944, many young men gave thier lives, others were wounded physically and emotionally. Families lost love ones.
My question is why did the Greensboro News & Record not publish articles on this. Will husbands, sons, and wives be forgotten in the future who have fought so bravely in the wars of the past and continue to fight. How about their families who picked up the paper today to see no mention of something that is very real to them.
Actually, we published a short item on Page A2 about the special anniversary and directed readers to three different Web sites for more information on D-Day. But it is true, it wasn't a traditional story.
But we tried. Our national editor, Janet Brindle, looked for wire stories about the occasion yesterday but found nothing of merit. We expect to have something in Saturday.
The reader's message -- this isn't the only one we've gotten -- gets to the notion of the newspaper as more than just a container for the day's news. It is also a touchstone for people, something that marks a moment in time, rekindles a memory, pays a respect. That is an emotional bond that is often forgotten when we talk about what a paper should be.
Comments (7)
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I just returned from France and was able to visit Arrormanches ( Gold Beach ) and the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach on May 19th. Words can't describe the emotion one feels upon first gazing at the crosses and Star of David markers and then staring out at the ocean that brought many brave young Americans to their final resting places.
I must agree with the expression of disappointment and disrespect felt by the anonynmous reader above. Many of us do appreciate the stellar work of Ned Harrison in his reporting of Veterans of foreign wars.
Publishing President Reagan's speech at Point du Hac commemorating the 40th anniversary of the D-Day, would be a nice thing for you to do.
Posted on June 6, 2008 6:13 PM
And for your convenience here it is:
The Boys of Point du Hac
Posted on June 6, 2008 7:12 PM
Or FDR's Prayer to Almighty God
Posted on June 6, 2008 8:03 PM
Or imagine:
What if D-Day Had Occurred on June 6, 2007 as Reported by PNN
Posted on June 6, 2008 9:00 PM
D-Day is one of the most significant historical events of WW11 and you couldn't come up with a story................how about a picture of the graves in France of all those young Americans that gave thier lives so the likes of the N& R can freely disrespect them. What an unAmerican damn shame John Robinson, my father was a pilot in that war. You should be ashamed!
Posted on June 7, 2008 1:01 AM
If I recall some earlier comments correctly, Beau, you don't actually read the newspaper. As a result, you may be unaware that we just finished three straight days of stories about vets on Memorial Day weekend. We published a regular column on vets, as Fred referenced. Just last week, Jim Schlosser wrote about George Preddy on the front page.
And today, we have a photo on the front page of the D-Day commemorations.
Posted on June 7, 2008 8:10 AM
"What a paper should be " John Robinson.
This is the kinda stuff that we should expect .
" D-Day
Jennifer Rubin - 06.06.2008
It is the anniversary of D-day. On anniversaries that aren’t “round numbers” few even remember to mark the day, the news coverage is absent and politicians tend to ignore it. When you review the losses not just of that day but the entire Battle of Normandy the numbers are staggering. One wonders if today the event would be characterized in the same way and whether over 10,000 Allied casualties in a single day would be reported as a great tragedy, a sign our military planners had failed us in some way.
This week I attended the Bradley Symposium at which frequent COMMENTARY contributor Victor Davis Hanson presented his essay “Memory and Civic Education: The Perils of Cultural Amnesia” and spoke of the arrogance and the lack of perspective which comes from ignorance about our history. His observations seem extremely pertinent with regard to WWII. How many Americans know about Tarawa, a true debacle in which the U.S. suffered 3000 casualties, or know the basic facts about the Battle of the Bulge where over 19,000 Americans were killed? Not enough.
Some basic historical literacy might provide Americans with some perspective on our current war and some understanding that even in the greatest triumph, mistakes, horrid mistakes, are made and yet through enormous bravery and determination we can persevere. At the very least we might have an appreciation for the enormity of the sacrifices needed to destroy fascism in the 20th century."
Posted on June 7, 2008 1:25 PM