September 11: ABC News coverage with Peter Jennings
The past few days I have been watching ABC's coverage of September 11, surely the best coverage by far on the day. The late great Peter Jennings is clearly a class above, the best anchor in the world. What I've seen of NBC has Katie, Matt and Tom all talking over each other during the most tragic moments, while Gumbel and Rather stumble along far behind what their own pictures show on CBS.
It is incredible to see Peter handle the immense flow of information throughout the day with amazing skills of reportage, analysis and clarity. A powerful sense of authority and calm on the air, he also at times offers glimpses of the stresses and emotions brought about. Always refreshingly direct, he voices what he feels is missing from their converage, a sense of the human conditions on the ground at "Ground Zero" (as he is surely the first to describe it). A few times, you can see or hear in his voice the deep emotional feelings of the day.
The following links are from the incredible Internet Archive: September 11 Television Archive, where you can watch 3 days of live coverage from ABC, CNN, CBS, NBC, FOX and BBC. In preparing this post, I have tried to present the information in as sensitive as manner as possible.
ABC Sept. 11, 2001 9:54 am - 10:36 am (September 11, 2001)
Coverage of the the aftermath of the first attacks, the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
ABC Sept. 11, 2001 12:41 pm - 1:23 pm (September 11, 2001)
An incredible report from ABC's White House reporter Ann Compton with Peter Jennings. It is fascinating to see the personal respect between the two. Peter offers fascinating analysis about the implications of the President's movements around the country in the midst of the crisis.
ABC Sept. 11, 2001 4:09 pm - 4:51 pm (September 11, 2001)
In-studio interview with a freelance cameraman who went into Ground Zero shortly after the collapse of the buildings. This is the first significant video from inside Ground Zero seen on the air. As a reviewer on the site writes, "the pictures are incredible to this day to view, and must have been almost incomprehensible to see on network TV so shortly after the events took place". Also in this segment, Peter conducts an interview with a survivor from Tower 1.
ABC Sept. 11, 2001 9:43 pm - 10:25 pm (September 12, 2001)
When Gov. Pataki arrives at ABC News for his second interview with Peter in a few hours, Peter stands up and shakes his hand live on the air. Also in this segment, Barbara Walters joins Peter in studio.
ABC Sept. 11, 2001 11:48 pm - 0:30 am (September 12, 2001)
Fascinating wrap-up with Ann Compton on the day with the President. An astonishing, raw moment came after a piece Peter called In Search of Steve. Watch. In this segment, Peter conducts the first interview with Alice Hoglan. Again he shows a remarkable sense of compassion for his interviewee. During another midnight interview, he admonishes his studio director for, to use his own words earlier that day, the "verging on obscene" repeated showing of the World Trade Center attack.
ABC Sept. 12, 2001 8:57 am - 9:39 am (September 12, 2001)
Another desperately raw moment is when Charles Gibson is overcome emotionally simply by watching an interview. As Cynthia McFadden finishes talking to the fiance of a man missing from the Trade Center attack, Charlie implores Cynthia to "give her a hug" repeatedly. It is an exceedingly difficult moment as all are clearly, in their own way, deeply affected by the growing enormity of the tragedy.
In the afternoon, somewhere after John Miller takes the floor to provide some analysis, Peter returns and makes the statement he was most remembered for, as he describes calling his children: "We do not very often make recommendations for people's behavior from this chair, but as John Miller was talking, I checked in with my children, and it -- who were deeply stressed, as I think young people are across the United States. So, if you're a parent, you've got a kid -- in some other part of the country, call them up."
edit: It's also extremely impressive and a mark of his skill as a broadcaster that, as he ends his interview with Kevin Sutavee, Peter gives Kevin the floor and invites him to say whatever he would like to say. I found Peter often invited his interviewees to comment openly on the air: "Have I left anything out", he would ask sometimes. You can see the start of the interview here. 33 minutes into this segment, the leaders of the House and Senate sing God Bless America to display the nation's solidarity in the face of such tragedy. It is one of the moments where Peter's voice starts to crack.
