News 8 Austin

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

W en I arrived at New York's Kennedy airport on Sept. 11, 1998, from Tehran, Iran, I knew full well the danger posed to the United States from rogue nations. I have seen post war Bosnia, and I have seen post war Beirut, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in lower Manhattan three days after terrorists knocked down the World Trade Center with commercial aircraft one year later.No matter what the story has been in my brief career, whether it was the women of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia who suffered through one of the worst massacres in world history, the mother of a Texas police officer killed in the line of duty or Lance Armstrong beating another obstacle, I have always tried to stick to some basic principles. Be accurate, stay focused, be skeptical but never cynical, keep your distance, don't cross what I call the emotional line and listen carefully. But with this story I had no choice but to throw most of those principles out the door. There was no rulebook; there was no handy guide. It was like having blinders on and hoping I was doing the right thing. But it never felt right.Not a single day went by, not a single story hit the air that felt right or OK or gave me the feeling that I did some good. When I faced my subjects, all of a sudden I didn't know what to ask. What do you ask the wife of a New York firefighter who died that day? You shouldn't dare ask how she feels because you know the answer, but I did it anyway because it's my job.How do you approach someone attending a memorial for a friend who was doing her job on the 100th floor of One WTC when the plane hit? I need that soundbite and under most circumstances I am willing to go through great pains to get it, but in this setting, with a microphone in one hand, a pen and pad in the other, I am a human being with a broken heart and the approach just doesn't feel right. The tears were streaming down my face, too, and I didn't know how to stop them.When I sat down to write, I couldn't find the appropriate tone. During my three weeks in New York I felt lost and confused. How could this be? I have always dreamed of covering huge stories with global implications. was it.Why couldn't I find my footing here? Perhaps the author and journalist David Halberstam had the best answer for me. In his words, This (the terrorist attacks) was not merely a story. A story is something that happens outside of your life that you cover. was something that is part of the fabric of our lives.And he was right. was something that happened to all of us. horrific act didn't happen in Sarajevo, Beirut, London or Tehran. wasn't a story 5,000 miles away that you cover and when it's over you get on a plane, recline in your business class seat and come home to your peaceful, prosperous neighborhood in America. …