This was the tribute with 96 cannon shots in tribute to Elizabeth II 1:30
(CNN) --
Few nations do the ritual better than Britain.
And no medium covers it more skillfully than television.
This Thursday, both the rituals and the television worked to the fullest for the death of Queen Elizabeth at the age of 96.
Together they provided a sense of continuity and comfort at a time when many felt sadness and loss at the passing of someone who had been a part of their media lives for seven decades.
CNN and MSNBC began their coverage Thursday morning.
Following the announcement of the queen's death on Thursday afternoon, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News all interrupted their regular programming to do the same.
The images of this Thursday morning were foreshadowing and passing, with shots of darkened skies and the Balmoral gates in the rain.
Even as pundits talked about the queen during morning coverage, the split screens regularly showed images of gates, darkness and rain.
The images strongly conveyed the feeling of waiting at the gates of the castle.
The nighttime images of a sea of black umbrellas in the rain outside Buckingham Place were equally evocative and poignant.
A double rainbow appeared as crowds gathered near Buckingham Palace before the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II's death.
She was 96 and Great Britain's longest-serving monarch.
https://t.co/5HW7O7EsIz
advertising
📷: Reuters/Toby Melville pic.twitter.com/KTbnBPZEfs
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 8, 2022
As difficult as it is for newspapers to compete with such images, The New York Times offered its online version of the coverage, one of the first to report that "as the queen's death was announced on Thursday, two rainbows were visible to the crowd gathered near the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace."
A Reuters photograph was used to show the rainbows.
Social media provided video of the rainbow online, as well as audio of the crowd outside Buckingham Palace chanting "God save the queen" as they stood vigil during the day.
A crowd bids farewell to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
These emotional moments offer a bit of balm for the pain of loss, and the media brought them to our screens.
The queen, the media and the changing times
One of the biggest challenges in covering Elizabeth's life and reign has long been balancing admiration for her sense of public duty with the actions of some of her children and changing attitudes towards the monarchy.
Of course, in the wake of the death of a figure like this, the impetus is even greater for there to be nothing but praise.
But the media on Thursday found ways to honor her while still criticizing her family.
And it was often done through good, solid, basic journalism.
CNN correspondent Scott McLean interviewed a young woman outside Windsor Castle and asked for her reaction when she learned the queen was under medical supervision.
"I think it's pretty sad," the woman said.
"You wouldn't want that to happen to your own family member. But I'm not the biggest fan of the queen or the monarchy in general. So I'm not that upset or overwhelmed by it."
"So you're not the biggest fan of the monarchy, I wonder why," replied McLean.
The woman cited "British colonial history" and allegations of sexual misconduct by Prince Andrew as her reasons.
The interview lasted less than a minute and was quickly lost in a tide of praise from pundits and interviewees saying how deeply saddened they were by the passing of someone they not only deeply admired but came to regard as an island. of tradition and stability in a time of upheaval and conflict.
But that voice had to be part of the coverage, even if it was only one minute among hundreds of compliments.
At the time of the interview, all channels and many platforms showed a photograph of Andrés arriving by car at Balmoral with his nephew Prince William and his brother Edward, as well as his wife, Sofia.
Online articles and on-air analysis by NPR, Daily Mail, Politico and MSNBC also included criticism of the queen for her mismanagement of Princess Diana's death and overprotective treatment of Andrew.
BBC Studios correspondent and MSNBC contributor Katty Kay explained why she thought her channel and others around the world stopped what they were doing and moved on to cover Isabel's death on Thursday.
"She was the constant, reassuring presence in an ever-changing world, and that's irreplaceable," Kay told host Nicolle Wallace.
Kay said her words were not intended to "canonize" the queen, but added that "mistakes were made. Diana's death stands out as the biggest."
But, Kay concluded, "when he made a commitment at age 21 to his people around the world, he meant it and he kept it. He earned the trust of his subjects and kept it for 70 years. And in a world that has changed as fast as ours...that's a remarkable feat."
Queen isabel II