September 11, 2001 dawned crisp and blue in New York City. The gathering hum of a seemingly ordinary workday began taking shape in lower Manhattan. Then the ‘ordinary’ was shattered by the extraordinary. The world changing event that unfolded that morning was unimaginable and unprecedented. It was a sneak attack of epic proportions on American soil, terrifying the nation while thrusting the news media into uncharted territory. Not even the most seasoned news director or reporter at the time had anything in their arsenal of experiences that could have prepared them for their task that day.

Broadcast audio licensed from CNN/WarnerMedia, NBC News, and courtesy of WINS and WOR Radio.

Contributor(s): Tom Brokaw, Former anchor for NBC News (Courtesy of the Television Academy Foundation Interviews. See the full interviews at TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews.)Dan Rather, Former anchor for CBS News (Courtesy of the Television Academy Foundation Interviews. See the full interviews at TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews.)David Bohrman, Former executive producer at CNNAaron Brown, Former anchor for CNN (Garner Audio Archive)Ari Fleischer, Former Press Secretary to President George W. BushMarcy McGinnis, Former Senior Vice President, Special Events News Coverage, CBS NewsShelley Ross, Former Executive Producer of Good Morning AmericaDavid Bernknopf, Former CNN Vice President, News Planning, 1980 – 2001Mara Rubin, Former Assistant News Director and reporter for WOR Radio New YorkJohn Montone, Former reporter for 1010 WINS, New YorkBeth O’Connell, Former Executive Producer, NBC News Special Events.

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