| Sept. 11, One Year Later:
The Press
With Alicia Shepard
Co-author, "Running Toward Danger"
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002; 1 p.m. ET On Sept. 11, 2001, as terrifying events unfolded in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, millions of Americans turned to the news media for information. What was it like for the reporters, photographers, editors and producers who covered the story? In the book "Running Toward Danger," more than 100 journalists from local, national and international news organizations describe the emotional and logistical challenges they faced as they ran to the scenes of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania. Alicia Shepard, co-author of "Running Toward Danger" will be online Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. ET, to discuss the reality faced by the press in covering the developments of Sept. 11, 2001. Submit your questions and comments before or during today's discussion. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Alicia Shepard: Hi there. My name is Alicia Shepard. I wrote Running Toward Danger with Cathy Trost for the Newseum, in Arlington, Va., which generously produced Running Toward Danger.
Washington, D.C.: Do you view the press differently after conducting the interviews for this book? Alicia Shepard: This is a great question. I definitely do. For nearly a decade I've been writing critical/analytical pieces for American Journalism Review. As we all know, there's plenty for me to write about my colleagues. But after Running Toward Danger, I was strongly reminded that most journalists are good, decent people with tons of integrity and dedication to their craft.
Never more was that seen than on Sept. 11, 2001. Journalists provided detailed, diverse, calming information to a public desperate to understand what happened. They virtually put their lives at risk -- especially in New York to inform the public.
Frankly, I don't know that the public appreciates what the news media did that day -- what an incredibly valuable service they provided and how lucky we are to have the First Amendment.
Missouri: Are there more or less young people going into the field of journalism today? Alicia Shepard: I don't really see a shortage of young people going into journalism. I just finished a masters in journalism at University of Maryland's excellent school of journalism, and sometimes I co-taught there.
What is hard not to notice is that mostly young women are going into the field.
Maryland: Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001 and what made you decide to write this book? Alicia Shepard: I was at home in Arlington, Va. on 9/11 as was my co-author, Cathy Trost, who lives in Bethesda, Md. We both knew instantly that the media had outdone themselves at great personal sacrifice. Who didn't watch television that day? Who could look away?
I think on 9/11, the nation got a sense of the extraordinary courage and commitment most journalists have. We wanted to capture a remarkable moment in journalism's history and to create an enduring historical record for generations to come. Luckily for us, the Newseum, which is the world's first interactive news museum, jumped on the project and helped make it all possible.
Baltimore, Md.: Any idea how many people were getting their news from the Internet on and around Sept. 11, as opposed to solely television? Alicia Shepard: No, I don't know how many got their news from the Internet. in Running Toward Danger, we said "untold" numbers. Believe me, we tried to nail it down. But because so many people were at work that morning when the first plane hit, lots and lots of people turned to the Internet because they didn't have TVs or radios in their offices.
I know washingtonpost.com was deluged and nearly crashed, as The New York Times and ABC sites did for a few minutes around 9 a.m. a year ago. This site instantly began ditching graphics and any logos or ads that would slow it down. And they went to outside servers for more capacity.
Most curious to me, was that the Internet was invented some 40 years ago as a way of communicating during a nuclear attack.
Washington, D.C.: What was the most surprising thing you learned while researching this book? Alicia Shepard: There were a couple of surprising things. One was that the network and cable news executives actually had a conference call around 11 a.m. a year ago and decided to share footage. That's extraordinary in such a competitive environment, but they were correct in putting the public's need to know above any competition. In fact, in Running Toward Danger, several journalists spoke about how competition went out the window.
Another story that went largely untold, is how the four major newspapers in New York City managed to publish AND deliver the papers on sept. 12. as I recall, three of them actually print the paper outside of NYC. As you recall, the bridges and tunnels in and out of NYC, were closed at about 9:20 a.m. and remained closed overnight. The publisher of the New York Times called New York's governor and asked for help for all the papers. They got it. Around 3 a.m., newspaper delivery trucks mustered in Queens, and dogs sniffed the contents, then the police escorted the trucks into the city to deliver papers that were snatched up. People stood in line around the corner of the New York Times just to buy the paper.
Washington, D.C.: To respond to an earlier comment from you -- I think Americans do appreciate the bravery evinced by journalists on Sept. 11, 2001. However, they were no braver than the other average Americans who were faced with the same situation. Alicia Shepard: You may be right. But on that day, journalists ran toward danger while others ran away from it. Not to say that journalists are braver than other Americans. But generally their instincts are to run toward danger to find out what's happening and inform the public.
We got the title of the book from a New York Post columnist, Rod Dreher, who has since left the paper. He lives ni Brooklyn Heights and he headed out the door after the second plane hit. He kissed his wife and baby boy goodbye, saying: I'm going to get as close as I can.
I interviewed him. When he said that, my reaction was: Gee, didn't your wife throw her arms around your legs and beg you not to go? And I'm a journalist. Have been for almost 20 years.
Rod said, "No, she knows there are three types of people who run toward danger: firemen, policemen and journalists."
Naturally, that's a generality.
What I found inspiring in interviewing over 100 journalists with Cathy was that after the first tower collapsed, photographers and reporters and TV producers etc. all ran. But after the dust storm passed, they went back. To me, that is impressive and brave.
Silver Spring, Md.: Did the journalists you spoke to find/make the time to grieve? Surely many lost someone in the tower collapses and the Pentagon attack. Alicia Shepard: Another great question. David Handschuh, a photographer for the New York Daily News, whose leg was broken when the towers fell speaks to trauma often now. In Running Toward Danger, he says:
"It's not natural to witness this stuff through the viewfinder for your camera. You witness it a second time, while you're editing it. Then you're re-exposed to the trauma when you view your picture in the paper the next day."
The trauma really never leaves him completely, he says.
In interviewing journalists, we felt that many were glad to have someone ask them their story. Not that they were eager to tell it, or bragging. Quite the contrary, many quickly pointed to the bravery of the rescuers. But I think there was something possibly cathartic about telling their story. Journalists usually ask questions, and are not asked for their story.
Alexandria, Va.: Does any one journalist or news outlet stand out in your mind as providing the best, most balanced coverage of the events of Sept. 11? Alicia Shepard: Like most of you, I was riveted to the television that day, and naturally channel flipping. I can honestly say that no one TV network or cable outlet did better than another on that seismic day.
I interviewed Dan Rather, Aaron Brown of CNN, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings -- whose stories of that day are all in Running Toward Danger. They all spoke about how critical it was to be balanced and fair and sort out rumor from fact. I believe all journalists felt that responsibility that day.
Imagine what it would have been like if we hadn't had TV or radio to turn to and couldn't get information? I remember feeling after the Pentagon was hit, "Please, don't let the electricity go out." I had to watch TV.
Belmont, Mass.: I thought 9-11 was interesting because you got to see a lot of the local broadcast news people, as well as -- I don't mean this in the wrong way -- but the "second stringers" and they did a fine job. It's when the Connie Chungs and the Diane Sawyers finally made it to downtown New York did things become sappy, affected and inauthentic. In compiling your images did you notice the purity of the early reporting before it got watered down? Alicia Shepard: We definitely tried to, because we only recorded how journalists did on Sept. 11. and at that point, as you noted, all journalists were equal. There were no stars. They all felt a need to get the public the story. That was their only focus -- not getting air time, or ratings or trying to beat out the competition. As you said, the reporting was very pure that day.
Minnesota: Did any journalists lose their life on 9/11/01? Alicia Shepard: William Biggart, a freelance photographer, died when the second tower collapsed. His wife, Wendy Doremus, tells the story quite movingly in Running Toward Danger. One of his photos is on the cover.
Anyone interested in seeing more photos from Running Toward Danger, can click on the Newseum site. we have about 100 photos in the book, some of which have never been seen before. We tried really hard to get photos OF journalists. That might have been one of the biggest obstacles.
There's an obit of sorts that Cathy wrote about Bill Biggart in RTD. And pictures of his mutilated press credentials and cameras.
Annapolis, Md.: As a male who was a print reporter and who is now in the government media relations field, I've noticed more and more women in both professions. Why do you think that's happening? Alicia Shepard: More and more women are gong into professions period as life evolves.
San Francisco, Calif.: What was the most inspiring story you heard during your research? Alicia Shepard: This is a tough question. There were so many inspiring stories. In Running Toward Danger, we pay tribute to the six television technicians who were on the 110th floor of the North Tower (the first tower hit). They all died.
I found mostly that every journalist we spoke with had an inspiring story of how they got to the scene of a hijacking, whether it was in New York, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon. Los Angeles Times reporter Maggie Farley was eight months pregnant and she is based in New York and she ran out the door to cover the story. She talks about a "journalistic desperation" to get there. I understand that.
I find it inspiring that journalists went back after the first tower fell at 10 a.m. I don't know if i could do that. To be honest. I find it inspiring that everyone we talked to felt such a strong public duty to inform the nation. I know I might be sounding sappy, but I do have a new and profound respect for most journalists.
Yes, there are charlatans and carnival barkers out there, but most are dedicated and believe strongly in upholding the First Amendment freedoms.
Oakland, Calif.: I loved your book! Just a terrific job. I'm curious -- one year later, how would you rate the press's follow up coverage of 9-11? Alicia Shepard: Why, thank you. The follow-up cover has been mixed, some of it excellent, some of it reaching, meaning journalists have to fill air time and that often means we see questionable stories, or half-reported stories.
Today we are fortunate to have dozens of excellent media outlets, and we -- at least in Washington, D.C. -- can pick and choose where to get the information.
If one station is doing a better job on covering Afghanistan, I can watch that. Or read another paper's coverage.
I'm paying close attention to the coverage today to see how well TV and newspapers handle what I would consider a delicate story. We want something, but we, the public, don't know exactly what or how much.
New York, N.Y.: No question that the news media did an incredible job covering the events of Sept. 11. But what do you think of the job they're doing covering the one-year anniversary? Wrong focus? Overkill? Just right? Alicia Shepard: The one-year anniversary is one the news media can't overlook. But I think they are on shaky ground in terms of taste and how much attention to pay. We have already experienced some overkill, no? I know I can't read everything and I'm looking for the unusual story. The "I didn't know that story." For example, National Public Radio had a story about the 18 dentists at the Pentagon who responded right away and were pulling people out of the burning building. They'd never been trained really for the kind wounds they had to deal with.
Falls Church, Va.: Like a lot of other folks, I was glued to the TV on Sept. 11 last year. The job the press did in covering the story was incredible. But. Since that time, the coverage has bordered on the ridiculous and maudlin. Especially the daily onslaught CNN and MSNBC have subjected us to for the past week or so. There is a difference between commemorating and exploiting. And I am sorely disappointed that the same press that was capable of so ably covering 9-11 is also capable of exploiting the emotions of America. Alicia Shepard: I'd have to agree. The maudlin and ridiculous is an unfortunate result of 24-hour coverage. They have all that air time and they have to fill it. You can't get 24 hours of quality. Newspapers are doing a better job by not entirely focussing on 9/11 and telling other news.
I thought it would be curious to see how newspapers and tv handled today's paper and coverage since we had many key primary elections yesterday. Those stories must have competed for space with 9/11.
Washington, D.C.: I work in television production and began my career in TV news. One of my most vivid 9/11 memories is how my personal fear and sorrow were increased by the misinformation reported in the broadcast media that day. As I sat in my office I heard it reported that a car bomb had exploded at the State Dept., that there were fires on the mall, etc. My sister called in tears from another city and told me to get out of my office, she had heard that numerous planes were heading up the Potomac. I know what a difficult and confusing day we all had. I don't think that that is an excuse for the media to simply report every rumor phoned in to them without any investigation. I lost all trust in the television media that day. And I'm disgusted by the orgy of morbid sentimentality that is today's television fare. Alicia Shepard: That's too bad. If you work television production, you know how chaotic a newsroom can become. I think, actually, considering all that was happening simultaneously, that there were very few mistakes reported. The AP reported the car bomb, and that is the example that is used repeatedly as a mistake. But there weren't that many.
New York: I've heard that police officers are constantly in a state of post traumatic stress syndrome from dealing with trauma on a daily basis. I'm sure that this has only been intensified given the events of a year ago. My question is, in compiling this book, did you find the journalists who were at ground zero were affected with the same problems? And, how difficult is it to tell a story when you are really part of the story? Alicia Shepard: Telling a story when you are part of it was a theme many journalists in Running Toward Danger talked about. Some said they couldn't do another funeral story. Or go to the hospital in New York where families were holding up pictures of loved ones. Many knew their limits, and asked to do different assignments.
Many newsrooms hired counselors to help the staff. In Running Toward Danger, the editor of the New York Times, Howell Raines, talks about his concern for his staff in the weeks after.
Alicia Shepard: By the way, if anyone is interested, we are having a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Alexandria on Jeff Davis Highway Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and another next Wednesday at Borders in Rockville at 7:30 p.m. We will be talking about the book and signing them.
Aren't I shameless? But I think many would like the book because it shows the behind the scenes of how journalism works and how decisions are made -- something I wish the public knew more about.
Catalina Island, Calif.: Did you conduct many first hand interviews for this book? If so, what were some of the more memorable interviews? Alicia Shepard: All the interviews were first hand.
Arlington, Va.: While I admit I'm interested in the behind-the-scenes stories of covering 9/11, I think that this book borders on making the press the story -- a confusion which happens all too often these days. As a journalist, one's job is to "run toward danger." If so, why should we give the press any more attention for doing this? Alicia Shepard: The press doesn't need more attention. But I do believe they played a critical role on last 9/11 and that how they brought the news to a nation is an important story to tell. Why should their roles be ignored?
© Copyright 2002 The Washington Post Company | 
