Twin Towers in the media: a day of horror lingering 25 years later

I’ve been watching a recent drama series on BBC Four, called Kabul – about the chaotic evacuation of that city when the Taliban resumed power in Afghanistan. In the opening sequence there’s a clip of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers in New York, 2001. After 25 years it hasn’t lost its impact.

I’d say most of us who were older children or adults in 2001 can remember where we were on that fateful day. As the word came through in the media we were glued to our TV sets, as the regular activities of the day were abandoned. I was teaching in those days and remember a colleague whispering the news in my ear. The TV trolley was wheeled out into the staffroom and we were transfixed.

These days we are in an era of fragmented TV viewing, but this was an iconic moment that united the TV viewing world in awe and horror. Those who started watching early on were doubly horrified to see, live, the second plane crashing into the tower, and then, soon after, watched as the towers collapsed. TV images of the rolling clouds of dust that resulted created a hellscape.

Before any of this became clear, the images continued to come throughout the day – it was morning in New York when it started”

I will never forget those whitened, dust-covered citizens of New York running away or wandering aimlessly, like zombies but so much more deeply human. Later, even more horrifically, it became clear that this was deliberate, an act of terrorism to top all acts of terrorism. Even more repulsive was the thought that perhaps the perpetrators were motivated by some sort of distorted religious outlook.

Before any of this became clear, the images continued to come throughout the day – it was morning in New York when it started. Most shocking of all were the scenes of people falling or jumping from the windows of those sky-scraping towers. As the dust settled, literally, the human stories began to filter through – including the phone calls and voice messages from those who never made it, expressing love for their families, even as hate engulfed them.

Stories

Tales of heroism abounded, including the brave deeds of the emergency services and first responders, especially those on the NYC fire trucks. One iconic image was of the Franciscan Fr Mychal Judge, chaplain to the firefighters, being carried away by colleagues from the remains of the towers. He died in the service of his firefighters, loyal to the end. I remember an image of a cross formed from some of the metal pieces that survived intact.

I remember the clips of President George Bush getting the news whispered in his ear as he sat in a class of youngsters during story time. He held off telling them that story. It felt like the calm before a terrible storm.

Later, and pretty much every September since then, media outlets have produced several documentaries about the event”

Of all the images and coverage, what got least coverage was the plane that crashed into the Pentagon – the relative secrecy was understandable to an extent, considering the nature of the building, but it drove some of the conspiracy theories. People were speculating about what was being hidden from them – an all-too-common phenomenon.

As the days went by, the media told the stories of those who died and those who survived, like those who didn’t go to work that day, or who arrived late enough to avoid the catastrophe. I remember a moving Late Late Show that featured Irish family members of people who were on one of the planes. You couldn’t help but wonder about their awful last moments and how much they were aware of what was happening.

Later, and pretty much every September since then, media outlets have produced several documentaries about the event. Some featured a variety of conspiracy theories, none of which I found particularly compelling, but who knows. It was just as well social media wasn’t a thing back then (Twitter became popular in the late noughties) – there was enough hate in the air.

Documentaries

Among the documentaries, I remember vividly 9/11 (2002), directed by French filmmakers Jules and Gédéon Naudet – the brothers were making a film about New York firefighters when the attack happened. Inside the Twin Towers (aka 9/11: The Twin Towers) (2006) is a mixture of drama, archive footage and eyewitness testimony. 102 Minutes that Changed America (2008) takes a chronological approach, which brings the events to life with a dramatic immediacy. 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers (2009), is a simple and focused approach that gets to the heart of the personal stories, highlighting the intensity of love and relationships. 9/11 Reunited (2026) is a recent documentary series that brings together survivors of the attack, with their reflections and memories 25 years on.

I was struck by the contrast between those ‘adults in the room’, however imperfect, as they reacted to an unprecedented situation”

Only last week I watched In the President’s War Room (2021) on BBC 2. It started by showing what an ordinary day September 11, 2001 was, until it wasn’t, and everything changed. Through contributions from those involved, we learned so much about how President George W. Bush and his staff reacted. Apart from living the emotion of it all again, I was struck by the contrast between those ‘adults in the room’, however imperfect, as they reacted to an unprecedented situation, and the erratic goings on in the current White House. Condoleezza Rice, then National Security Advisor, told of phoning Vladamir Putin and being pleased with his co-operation! No doubt there will be plenty more documentaries this September.

Films

One feature film in particular packed quite a punch – United 93 (2006) tells the story of the plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania because the passengers rebelled and tried to wrest control from the hijackers. Even though we knew what would happen, it was a riveting watch, with a sense of doom hanging over it, even as we vainly wished for a better outcome.

There was nothing sentimental or gung-ho about it, just a tense story well told by director Paul Greengrass, who also directed some of the Bourne films. This plane was apparently headed for another government building, so the bravery of the passengers undoubtedly saved many lives, even as they lost their own.

Apart from that, there haven’t been that many feature films on the events, but there have been some that were sort of adjacent, or focused on specific aspects of the event.

These other feature films included World Trade Centre (2006), directed by Oliver Stone, which tells the story of police officers trapped in the rubble.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), starring Tom Hanks, features a young boy whose father died in the attack – now he must find a box that will be opened by a key the father left behind.

The repercussions continue to this day, drawing in countries that weren’t even involved initially. Sadly, the 3,000 death toll has been superseded”

9/11 (2017), starring Charlie Sheen and Whoopi Goldberg is about people trapped in an elevator in one of the towers.

Worth (2020), starring Michael Keaton, focuses on the lawyer dealing with 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

The Looming Tower (2018), starring Jeff Daniels, is a miniseries dealing with inter-agency rivalries (FBI/CIA) and intelligence failures leading up to the attacks. I feel the definitive film of the events has yet to be made. Maybe more distance in time is needed.

The use of the footage in the Kabul drama shows how much of an impact the events had on political events in the Middle East – the repercussions continue to this day, drawing in countries that weren’t even involved initially. Sadly, the 3,000 death toll has been superseded hundreds of times over.

Though it happened 25 years ago this September, writing about it brings it all back so vividly – the impact is still painful.