We all felt mortified at the death of so many innocents victims, and empathy for their relatives and friends.

Why haven't all Americans felt the same for the innocent victims, and their relatives and friends in Iraq.

Thank God for CBC and their giving us pretty much "the facts" daily and not the entertainment style stuff from all the other stations, most especially American news. In my opinion, most Canadian stations are slipping into the Americanization of the news - except CBC. Carry on!

No words can detract from the horror of nearly 3000 people, innocent victims of lunatic suicidal maniacs, driven to their destiny by a fanatic misinterpretation of Islam. Equally, though, no words can justify the destruction of a whole nation and the death of hundred of thousands innocent people, children and women alike, murdered in cold blood, by a cold blooded war machine in an aggression based on utter lies and pretenses. Yet the Bush fans still defend their war as a necessary means to “fight terrorism.”

We know every little detail of every person killed on 9/11. How much do we know about those poor people burnt alive by falling bombs, maimed and killed by missile shrapnel. But for CBC and BBC, rarely did we see any footage of them . How many of them were there who met their death at the hand of US military? In America those souls don’t count and the Bush administration doesn’t even bother to count them.

But then, those are Iraqi Arabs. Their lives can be spared without fear of losing domestic votes.

We all felt mortified at the death of so many innocents victims, and empathy for their relatives and friends.

Why haven't all Americans felt the same for the innocent victims, and their relatives and friends in Iraq.

I want to thank the CBC for its news coverage and providing documentaries like the "Falling Man", "Secret History" and "Toxic Legacy". I especially appreciate Mr Burman's comments. September 11, 2001 just didn't happen. There is a long history behind the events that culminated in this horrible act. The bits and pieces I have been able to accummulate through reading news articles and watching TV have helped me understand the different perspectives of the US, Afghanistan, Canada, France, to name a few. I believe it is extremely important that the way in which news is provided includes Mr. Burman's 3 lessons, along with other ways that ensure the viewing public is provided with a balanced perspective. It is then up to us to make our own minds and opinions. My own conclusion about September 11, the Taliban, our role in Afghanistan and all that surrounds this debate is that nothing is simple. I will continue to look to CBC to help me understand my world.

Please attach a link to "Loose change" on your CBC website so that people EVERYWHERE have access to this important alternate opinion which in many ways consists of more truth than any official version. We Canadians are the only ones who can assist our friends and neighbours in the US to receive truth so that they take a stand against the thick filters in place to stop their learning too much. PLEASE share what you now have access to with all who come to your valuable website. Thank you.

There has never been a proper explanation for the strange way those buildings collapsed on 9-11, nor any questioning as to why the evidence of the biggest crime scene in American history was so swiftly removed and destroyed.

A serious investigation is required to answer the nagging questions. There are far too many unanswered doubts as to how a rag-tag group of terrorists with minimal flight training pulled off the biggest most sophisticated operation in terrorist history.

I am one Canadian who does not blindly accept my state broadcast station's words at face value. I feel sorry for those on here who do.

By refusing to question the strange inconsistencies with the US government's 'Official Conspiracy Theory', CBC demonstrates it's clear allegiance to a right-wing corporate agenda.

I do not wear a tinfoil hat and I do not believe in the Easter bunny. I am just one Canadian who wants more questions asked about 911. Why did building 7 collapse? Why hasn't anyone been held accountable for ignoring the warnings? Why was the President allowed to sit for seven more minutes in a public place when his staff KNEW the country was under attack? Why.

Start acting like journalists and start asking the tough questions.

I am writing this so you will know there are some Americans who are aware of the imperialism of our government, a small minority it seems but aware that we have travelled far from the roots of our beginnings. We are ashamed to know what has been done in our name. We are fighting the best we can with the resources we have(which are basically the internet)I know a lot of people prefer to believe the Bush cabal as it is easier than knowing the truth.BUT they are beginning,we can only hope they will look at he evidence and know it for what it is. I am 76 and only pray the truth will be accepted SOON in my lifetime and they will all be tossed out of office. And by the way your own government at this point is not lily white, but of course none of them are..I wish for peace , harmony and love for all and for all to WAKE UP and realize we are not free and to stop being sheeples...Sincerely.A freedom loving citizen of U.S

The quality of the media reporting of major world events has been in serious decline for years now and it is good to have some basic reminders outlined. What is sad is that these would have to be termed "lessons" for seasoned journalists that should have the quality and accuracy of their reporting as the basis for all they do to begin with.

"Tabloid creep", entertainment becoming news and unprincipled laziness driving passive acceptance of the official line are all enemies of true journalism. One way or another, members of the media are experts in presenting events to their fellow citizens and have a very important duty to perform in a democratic society. It may not always be popular but the moment that efforts to present the truth become obscured by other motivations, journalists become nothing more than party hacks.

Considering the events of the past few years in particular, it seems that the quest by elected officials for power and money has increased in direct proportion to journalistic integrety having decreased. Bringing the two closer together is essential if we are to slow the current North American trend of half truths, backroom politics and passive public acceptance of often poorly hidden agendas.

I thought it was a succinct analysis of what the media should constantly be doing on any story, but more particularly on the 9/11 related stories. It should be sent, as a courtesy and for comment, to Mr. Burman's counterparts at every print, television and other media outlet in North America.

I do not believe that we can eliminate terrorism or that Canada is a safer place, or likely to be.

The events of 9/11 were truly tragic and all those affected deserve our deepest sympathy. However, so do the innocent civilians killed in "search and destroy" missions in a futile effort to completely eliminate the Taliban. No one is even sure just who the insurgents are. Our attacks will ensure another generation of hatred.

I just weep so many times when I watch the news and hear this endless stream of selfish news coverage that plays up the events of 9/11 as if it were the most dastardly deed in the history of the world. For once the West was attacked and suddenly we see what it's like to have civillians die on our own turf. It is a rare news item indeed that pays the slightest attention to the idea of balance with respect to the relative death tolls on either side of the so-called "war on terror". There have been so many stories about the American losses on 9/11, but where are the stories about the innocent Iraqi's slaughtered by the tens of thousands by US "smart" bombs. Less than 3000 were lost on 9/11 in America. I'm sure Iraqis wish they were so lucky. We are a cruel, selfish people indeed if we fail to emphasize the horrific price the poor and powerless civilians in Iraq have paid for our desire to continue to dominate the world out of all proportion to our numbers.

Isn't it just about time that people dump the ludicrous (and pretty offensive) 9/11 conspiracy theories that seem to be so popular among a small but vocal segment of the population? Like any conspiracy theory, we should see it for what it really is - an intellectual crutch that can be used to make horribly complicated and convoluted situations seem simple and tidy.

Boo to the people that show such disrespect as to say we did this to our self. 9/11 deserves better than that. There is zero logic in that... why? and why so extream?, silly.

God Bless those and their family of 9/11 and America.

Mr.Burman's points seem rather obvious. One would hope that this is standard behviour for the media.

But this has happened before. Clinton sold the world on invading and bombing a sovereign state, Yugoslavia, which had acted against entities within its own borders, deemed countries by dimplomatic recognition only days earlier.

Rarely were critical questions asked by the media, for fear of being excluded from press briefings.

Clinton had his humanitarian grounds, which trampled over international law. Bush first had the Saddam-al Quaeda link, then WMD, to justify his actions.

Acts in contradicion to Mr. Burman's principles have happened before, and sadly, they will continue to occur.

Re Nine-eleven, three points.

One: Many Canadians are sick of hearing that America is “the home of freedom”. The American system of elections is archaic and the American methods that elect their President who commands their military are easily influenced by big money, applied to vital points. As America does not have a very reliable democracy and as the American electorate is poorly informed, America is one of the greatest threats to peace on Earth in the 21st century.

Two: The number of innocent people in Asia and in Central and South America who died in events that were supported by American Imperialism (events that were not declared wars or preludes to declared wars) greatly outnumbers the number of innocent North Americans who died on 2001 September 11.

As horrific as 2001 Sept 11 was to watch, the free press in countries like Canada must never let Yankee Imperialism off the hook. American Imperialism bought and paid for Nine-eleven with a callous disregard for the lives of innocent people around the world.

No country in history has had such an innocent aura at home and such a terrible reputation abroad as the U.S.A since 1950. Nine-eleven was pay-back.

The worst thing that you and I, and the free press of Canada and the Free World, must never forget, is the ignorance of the American citizen of the evil that its government has conducted and easily covered up, because the American news media just will not cover the bad that America wilfully does.

Three: “Nine-eleven” needs a new name. There is a September 11 in every year. Two-thousand-one-nine-eleven is awkward and too long. The “Events of September 2001” is more complete and more accurate. Just Nine-eleven is a code that has served its purpose and needs to be replaced.

Thanks for reading me.

Bob Halstead
CBC fan.

Here are three more very important lessons I wish the media would learn:

- Don't add more spin.

Almost every report I've read seems to want to spin up 9/11 in some way. One phrase I'd love never to hear again is "9/11 changed the world," because in reality - it didn't. Terrorism and tragic disasters are commonplace everywhere but here in North America. What changed wasn't the world - it was us.

Now, the reaction to 9/11 by the US government - that changed the world - but not permanently.

Let's keep the hyperbole down to a light roar, ok?

- Keep personal opinions out of news reports.

I've even caught the BBC doing this. When reporting factual news - the reporter has an obligation to keep personal opinion out. But more and more often I read or hear reporters injecting their personal religious or political bias into their reporting.

Keep the opinions for op-ed pieces.

- Facts first.

There's a place for 'feelings' reporting, and it's important to cover this - but first and foremost, it's about the facts.

Once again, the best example of this failure comes from the BBC when I heard a reporter point blank tell a person he was interviewing that he didn't want to hear about facts and numbers, he wanted to hear about how people felt about the event.

Excuse me? *I* want to hear the facts. I do not want it filtered through someone's emotional fog or biases. How else can I make intelligent decisions about what's going on and how it affects me? How else can I judge the quality of reaction by my elected officials if I don't know what they're reacting to?

It's a disservice to us, the public, and an abrogation of the basic responsibility of the press to deliver the facts.

Mr. Burman's article is well written and interesting; he demonstrates attributes of social awareness and integrity that have become increasingly rare in modern western society. Personally I find it refreshing to observe a sage and open-minded Canadian perspective, one that focuses on wider aspects of 9/11 in terms of American foreign policy and popular attitudes. I sincerely hope that the CBC continues to be a strong voice in Canada for many years to come.

Dear Mr. Burman / CBC,

9/11...History repeating... In 1897, two American generals, realizing that their troops needed motivation to attack the Spanish during the Spanish-American war, decided to sink their own battleship, the USS Maine, to blame the attack on the insurgent Spanish. After doing so, their soldiers were angered by the Spanish offensive and begged the generals to fight back...this was the first instance of psychological warfare used on it's own people recorded in US history..but is not the last. I believe the Bush Admin took a page from their history book and created this whole 9/11 incident to sway the public eye in their favour and to buy them some lee-way regarding their agenda of control and world hegemony. Since hind site is so clear, let's look back at the bogus reasons they gave us for Iraq, let's look at the small print at the Patriot Act, let's scrutinize why Bush was really in Iraq and why he has so much to hide...why is he holding prisoners in Cuba, why the secret prisons in Europe, why are they still in Iraq?....answering any of these questions will point you in the right direction...although the truth maybe hard to swallow, it's a jagged little pill that we all need to take.

SL Sheehan
Ottawa, ON

Re: Mr. Burman's 3 lessons for the media"

I think Mr. Burman has maybe left out one important aspect of this, in that media should leave out their interpertation and views in these matters, but simply report what is being stated and shown as opposed to what maybe.

Mr. McKenna's account of 9/11 explored some further unknown insight with snipets of facts thus allowing him to further explore his own views on the subject.

I am surprised that knowing all of this how Mr. Burham's own article on the first item as having the media keeping it accuate, and thus Mr. Burman's conclusion and praise about the storey is in my opinion inaccurate itself?

Regards,
Costa Papas

Timely reminders. Share them with your executive producers, producers and reporters. Do this sharing regularly, repeatedly and consistently.

Thank you Mr. Burman for shedding light and stating the obvious regarding 9/11 and all media reporting. As you correctly pointed out, the media's responsibility is to keep it real (accurate), letting the camera do the talking (remembering the wide shot) and, most importantly, getting to the heart of the matter without embellishment or political/social bias (cutting through the spin). If journalists, and newsmakers - here and abroad - would stick to these principles, the general public would be more informed, better served and less prone to false assumptions created by hype, half-truths and political doctoring.

It was An Attack on ALL OF US

The real life 9/11 attacks were horrific. The fact that ABC felt the need for extra political spin, further dramatization, and fictional characters to supplement the 5-year anniversary story is disturbing. Thanks for calling critical attention to this unethical mix of news and entertainment. Heather MacIntosh Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership