TERRORISM!

As I watched TODAY that morning, a plane came into view on my TV screen, racing toward the World Trade Center. I didn’t have time to articulate that word before that second jet hit the tower.

Shock. Sadness. Uncertainty. A need for community. Wonder at how the sky could be such a beautiful blue as our world was coming apart. I felt it all.

I also felt pride in The Record newspaper staff for their efforts that day. No one had to call them in; they all raced to the office after hearing the news. Many were young; a few were veterans. Some had limited experience, others had a rolodex of sources any journalist would envy. Working for a community newspaper about an hour and a half north of New York City and a miles from the state capital, the staff knew this tragedy would impact our region. 

Working their beats into that night, they searched for answers. How safe was the Capitol? Where was the governor? Were any local facilities targeted? Did regional airport controllers know anything about the planes involved, especially since one of the planes flew over our airspace? Were any groups answering the call for help at the WTC site? Were any area residents on the planes or in the towers?

Brainstorming, reporting, sharing information, working until exhaustion took hold. And yet no one wanted to leave. Sharing the experience made it easier to bear.

The tragedy hit home. Our superintendent of schools lost his son and son-in-law, both of whom worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. A former public safety commissioner for Troy, The Record’s home city, perished when the towers collapsed, and the stepmother of a former Record librarian, a state worker, was missing and feared dead. 

It was a difficult day, but the staff produced a quality edition that helped our readers understand the tragedy’s impact on the Capital Region. 

Lisa Robert Lewis, a 1976 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, retired in 2023 after a long career in journalism.

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Categories: 9/11, Covering 9/11, Jandoli Institute, Media