The reporting should begin carefully finding answers to the questions on the minds of everyone: Who did this? If Osama bin Laden was to blame, who is he? Tell me more about Afghanistan, where he and his group are based. What happened when the Russians tried to exert influence over or control Afghanistan? Do the Russians have insights into whatâs happening there now? What happened to the Pittsburgh flight? What kinds of changes in airline travel are in the offing? Are we apt to see security guards again on planes? If we cannot prevent terrorism, can we mitigate it? How? The single most important information to obtain, for today and future reporting: airline manifests. Who was aboard those flights? Why?
The reflections can focus on what these attacks have done to our culture, our politics, our families. Much of what has appeared on television suggests a unifying effect. How might that shape our lives, our government, our sense of national solidarity, for good or bad? Might we be resolute or vengeful? This is an opportunity for an essayist to plumb how we feel about ourselves. The essayist should use reporting skills, not merely opine: Show the impact of the terrorism, don’t guess at it. Terrorism has explicit goals. Did they succeed this time? Or are they being thwarted? This is a very difficult assignment, but done well can appear on Page One or near the top of a newscast.
