America Under Attack

ABC News Special Report. [2001-09-11]
Summary: "For your consideration, we submit our coverage of the tragedy on September 11, 2001. The Special Report encompassed over 90 hours of uninterrupted coverage, a record in network television history. Peter Jennings led most of our coverage. His clear balanced live reporting brought Americans the story as events unfolded. We went on shortly after the first plane hit with our GMA anchor team of Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. They covered the second plane hitting live. Peter Jennings took over our coverage in time for the collapse of both towers and news of the Pentagon crash. He was the first of the evening news anchors on the air. Jennings supplemented what we could see with reports from our correspondents in the field and eyewitness accounts at ground zero. Correspondent John Miller, formally with the NYPD, added his expertise with what New York emergency services were doing as the story broke. Correspondent Don Dahler reported live from lower Manhattan including the collapse of the south tower. Veteran National Security Correspondent John McWethy reported live from outside the Pentagon. Over the first 90 hours, ABC News deployed correspondents around the world."

"The ABC News investigative unit went to work right away led by Brian Ross and John Miller. Ross was the first to report that several hijackers had been in an altercation with another passenger at a parking lot in Boston's Logan Airport. Miller, who is one of the few western journalists ever to interview Bin Laden, was the first to report that Bin Laden releases videos before major terrorist attacks. Ross was the first to report that Mohammed Atta was one of the hijackers and that some of the hijackers learned to fly at the Venice Flight School. ABC News was the first to interview Rudy Dekkers, who instructed some of the terrorists at that flight school."

"ABC News magazines went into action from the first day. In just a few hours, they went from taking months to prepare a story to the immediacy of producing breaking news pieces. Connie Chung was the first to interview the CEO of Canter-Fitzgerald. Primetime was the first to interview a former member of the Al Queda terrorist network."

"ABC News delivered sustained constant live coverage without losing the quality for which ABC News is known. The coverage shows our depth as a news organization to calmly report the news under intense circumstances and to break news in highly competitive situations. We submit this for your consideration."--2001 Peabody Digest.

This is the first report from 8:30-9:30am on September 11, 2001.

Corporate Producers: ABC News | ABC Television Network

Persons Appearing: Peter Jennings (Anchor)

Broadcast Date: 2001-09-11

America Under Attack
Summary: "For your consideration, we submit our coverage of the tragedy on September 11, 2001. The Special Report encompassed over 90 hours of uninterrupted coverage, a record in network television history. Peter Jennings led most of our coverage. His clear balanced live reporting brought Americans the story as events unfolded. We went on shortly after the first plane hit with our GMA anchor team of Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. They covered the second plane hitting live. Peter Jennings took over our coverage in time for the collapse of both towers and news of the Pentagon crash. He was the first of the evening news anchors on the air. Jennings supplemented what we could see with reports from our correspondents in the field and eyewitness accounts at ground zero. Correspondent John Miller, formally with the NYPD, added his expertise with what New York emergency services were doing as the story broke. Correspondent Don Dahler reported live from lower Manhattan including the collapse of the south tower. Veteran National Security Correspondent John McWethy reported live from outside the Pentagon. Over the first 90 hours, ABC News deployed correspondents around the world."

"The ABC News investigative unit went to work right away led by Brian Ross and John Miller. Ross was the first to report that several hijackers had been in an altercation with another passenger at a parking lot in Boston's Logan Airport. Miller, who is one of the few western journalists ever to interview Bin Laden, was the first to report that Bin Laden releases videos before major terrorist attacks. Ross was the first to report that Mohammed Atta was one of the hijackers and that some of the hijackers learned to fly at the Venice Flight School. ABC News was the first to interview Rudy Dekkers, who instructed some of the terrorists at that flight school."

"ABC News magazines went into action from the first day. In just a few hours, they went from taking months to prepare a story to the immediacy of producing breaking news pieces. Connie Chung was the first to interview the CEO of Canter-Fitzgerald. Primetime was the first to interview a former member of the Al Queda terrorist network."

"ABC News delivered sustained constant live coverage without losing the quality for which ABC News is known. The coverage shows our depth as a news organization to calmly report the news under intense circumstances and to break news in highly competitive situations. We submit this for your consideration."--2001 Peabody Digest.

This is the excerpts from 91 hours of coverage broadcast from September 11-13, 2001.

Corporate Producers: ABC News | ABC Television Network

Broadcast Date: 2001-09-11 -- 2009-11-13