On September 11, 2001, the world changed in an instant after terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing two into the World Trace Center in New York City and another in the side of the Pentagon. A fourth plane was intended to strike the U.S. Capitol, but instead crashed in a Pennsylvania field thanks to the actions of the crew and passengers. All of these events were covered live by journalists who themselves were visibly shocked by the events. Below, we have assembled examples of press coverage from that day, when 2,996 people were killed.
The above video is all six hours of the Today Show broadcast from that day. About an hour and 50 minutes in, Matt Lauer mentions that there is a “breaking” story at the World Trade Center, but NBC goes to commercial as they wait for footage. When they return, the non-stop coverage begins with Katie Couric reporting that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. The video begins at 7 a.m., with the top story being Michael Jordan’s retirement plans. – READ MORE
