While the concern is noted, the photo of the Twin Towers on the front page was not meant to be disrespectful or insensitive.
The Daily Cougar always takes its front page seriously.
We do not place something on the front of the paper without weighing the outcome first. This was especially true for the 9/11 issue.
This singular voice of dissent may find the photo to be in bad taste, but that is not the stance of The Daily Cougar.
The photo is everlasting proof of what happened on 9/11.
It is an intense image; the attacks were a terrible tragedy that were seared into the brain of every American instantly.
We chose to display the photo so people do not forget just what 9/11 was. It was frightening, chaotic and evil.
As for the claim that publishing the photo was not serious journalism, The Daily Cougar was not the only media outlet with pictures or video of 9/11.
MSNBC, ABC, CNN and too many newspapers to name all played back the newscasts and images of the Twin Towers.
Just because the image is horrific does not mean it should not be on the front page, at least not in this particular case.
We are memorializing the worst terrorist attack on US soil, and the best way we felt we could do that is by showing the image as it happened, not by using a stock photo of the flag or a picture of Ground Zero.
We take the concerns of our readers seriously, but the Daily Cougar stands by its choice to publish a photo of 9/11.
— Jack Wehman
