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Pat Kiernan Revisits NY1’s 9/11 Coverage 25 Years Later
Pat Kiernan is a television news anchor in New York.
He recently talked about how NY1 covered the September 11 attacks 25 years ago.
At first, reporters only knew that something was wrong at the World Trade Center.
Eyewitnesses called the station and helped reporters understand what was happening.
News technology was much less advanced then, so journalists had trouble sharing pictures and checking rumors.
NY1 stayed focused on New Yorkers and gave families a chance to talk about missing loved ones.
Today, phones and the internet can send pictures and information much faster.
However, there are fewer large news teams and more misinformation to sort through.
Journalists and media scholars said both old and new coverage have strengths and problems.
Pat Kiernan reflected on NY1’s live coverage of September 11 during a Paley Center panel marking the 25th anniversary.
Unedited footage of Kiernan’s broadcast drew 10.4 million views after being posted on X by reporter Daniel McFadin.
NY1 initially reported a fire before eyewitness accounts confirmed that a plane had struck the World Trade Center.
Journalists described major technology limits, including scarce mobile devices, weak communications, and difficulty verifying rumors.
Kiernan said modern media can distribute information faster, but declining audiences and smaller newsrooms have weakened coverage infrastructure.
- Who
- NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan and other journalists and media scholars who recalled September 11 coverage.
- What
- A Paley Center panel and interview examined how news organizations covered the September 11 attacks and how coverage might differ today.
- Where
- New York, including the Paley Center for Media and NY1’s coverage area in the city.
- When
- During the 25th anniversary of September 11, 25 years after the attacks.
- Why
- To revisit the reporting decisions, technology limitations, community role, and lasting impact of the coverage.
Expanded Digital Access
Weaker News Infrastructure
Speed and reach
Expanded Digital Access
Kiernan said smartphones, video-sharing tools, and digital platforms make it possible to receive and distribute information from more places much faster.
Weaker News Infrastructure
Kiernan said declining audiences and changing habits have reduced the resources available for sustained local coverage.
Reliability of information
Expanded Digital Access
More eyewitness images and videos can help reporters verify events and reach places quickly.
Weaker News Infrastructure
Kiernan said artificial intelligence can make it harder to know whether images are genuine, while panelists recalled that rumors were also difficult to corroborate in 2001.
Role of traditional media
Expanded Digital Access
Kiernan said NY1 retained a sizable audience and team capable of focusing on New York during a crisis.
Weaker News Infrastructure
He said New York has lost or reduced several established news operations, leaving fewer experienced journalists prepared to respond collectively.
Key facts
- Anniversary
- The panel marked the 25th anniversary of September 11.
- Featured journalist
- Pat Kiernan is approaching his 30th anniversary at NY1.
- Broadcast footage
- An unedited recording of Kiernan’s morning broadcast received 10.4 million views on X.
- Initial report
- NY1 first described the incident as a fire before learning that a plane had hit the tower.
- Community coverage
- NY1 interviewed families gathered near a wall of missing-person fliers in lower Manhattan.
- Technology then
- Panelists said many staff members relied on BlackBerry devices or Nextel phones and could not easily take pictures.
- News infrastructure
- Kiernan said New York had fewer major around-the-clock news operations than it did at the time of the attacks.
Quotes
Pat Kiernan
NY1 anchor reflecting on revisiting his September 11 coverage
“The thing that we could do that was helpful to the community was to be in lower Manhattan, to be down with the families in Greenwich Village that stood at that wall with a picture of their missing loved one”
deadline.com
“It’s worthwhile for me just to refresh my memory on what played out at what moment, and also kind of to put yourself back into that moment”
deadline.com
Barbie Zelizer
University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School professor and panel participant
“There are different platforms, there are different technologies, there’s a different speed at which we get information. But we’ve always had misinformation and disinformation alongside real information.”
deadline.com
Sources
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