As a 22-year-old, I can’t think back to where I was when Japan attacked
Pearl Harbor or when Kennedy was assassinated. What I do remember is
exactly where I was and what I was doing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Later that day, running laps during high-school gym class, my friends
and I commented that we suddenly felt a part of history, not just
students learning about it.
It’s that mentality that struck me about the fifth anniversary’s news
coverage. Multiple news outlets seemed to incorporate an element of
coverage that focused on personal stories.
I noticed it with my generation when I was reading my college
newspaper, Penn State’s The Daily Collegian. Erin James, editor in
chief, wrote a column that shares her experience of that morning. Her
column shows that Sept. 11 coverage also includes bottom-up news,
detailing what the observer has experienced.
But I also noticed it in older generations. NBC’s Brian Williams wrote
his reflection on Sept. 11 in the article “We moved on too quickly,”
which gives his reaction to the attacks and his childhood memories of
the Twin Towers. He, as with others, uses phrases such as “I will never
forget” and “I will remember that day.” Just Googling “I know where I
was on Sept. 11” produces page after page of personal stories.
Everyday citizens shared their experiences on MSNBC’s “How 9/11 changed
our lives.” So did Florida residents at St. Petersburg Times’
itsyourtimes.com. Photojournalists at The New York Times narrated the
stories behind their photos in “The Faces of 9/11.”
I think it’s coverage like this that draws in readers and creates a
shared sense of community. News isn’t just a one-way flow of abstract
information. It’s personal, and the media captured that.
