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It has been 12 years since the attack on the World Trade Centers. Today, there were memorials across the country honoring the victims.
Last year on this day I asked an elementary school student if she knew what happened on 9/11. She said they were learning about it in school and that President George W. Bush had been at her school when it happened (Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla.) She couldn't tell me more than that.
Two years ago, on the 10th anniversary, I was writing a story for my former employer about first responders struggling to get insurance for ailments caused by debris from the towers.
Today, I work for a business newspaper. I wore red, white and blue to work, and at the CEO Forum I attended this morning I heard a brief prayer for the victims.
On Sept. 11, 2001 the businesses located in the Twin Towers lost more employees than any CEO in Florida can imagine. CNN Money put together a graphic for the 10th anniversary that names the companies located in the World Trade Centers and how many employees they lost. Those employees were brothers, daughters, husbands and aunts to someone out there.
So, when handling such a serious subject, how is it possible that some companies failed so miserably?
AT&T posted a photo to Facebook and Twitter of a hand holding a smartphone showing the “Tribute in Light.” “Never Forget” was written on the picture. It was kind of like a product placement memorial and people around social media were not happy about it. AT&T eventually pulled the picture from both sites and issued an apology and said on Twitter, “The image was solely meant to pay respect to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy.”
We apologize to anyone who felt our post was in poor taste. The image was solely meant to pay respect to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy.
— AT&T (@ATT) September 11, 2013
Esquire made a little mistake on its website today, according to Mediaite. It showed the “Falling Man” photograph of a victim falling from a tower along with the text “Making Your Morning Commute more Stylish.” This was caused by a glitch and Esquire apologized in a tweet that read:
Relax, everybody. There was a stupid technical glitch on our "Falling Man" story and it was fixed asap. We're sorry for the confusion.
— Esquire Magazine (@Esquiremag) September 11, 2013
Probably the worst offense was a golf club in Madison, Wis., that offered a deal of nine holes for $9.11 and 18 holes for $19.11 to commemorate 9/11, according to a CBS local affiliate. The club, Tumbledown Trails, did apologize on Facebook, but the owner has received death threats and threats to burn down the course. Here's the ad:
This 9/11-themed golf course ad is a real thing that ran in today's Wisconsin State Journal. pic.twitter.com/rn6VIYH4mF
— Josh Orton (@joshorton) September 10, 2013
What do you think? After 12 years, have we forgotten how to handle the tragedy, or are some companies just trying to make money by exploiting the day?
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