Running toward danger : stories behind the breaking news of 9/11 /

The media juggernaut that brought us O. J. and Chandra-gate rose to the occasion in a "heroic fashion" on September 11, writes Brokaw in his apt foreword to this collection of oral histories by journalists who covered the terrorist attacks. In these short and piercing reminiscences, reporters, photographers, editors and producers race to Ground Zero, penetrate police cordons, dodge falling skyscrapers, patch together cell-phone links and search out all-night film-processing stores to bring us the story of the millennium. The book is not without self-congratulation ("journalists...calm and inform a terrified nation"), defensiveness (especially over the horrific "jumper" photos of office workers plummeting to their deaths), or Dan Rather's oddness ("I drank...some kind of a protein drink. I don't want to be chewing on the air"). But it vividly conveys the stop-the-presses freneticism-and real achievement-of news organizations in quickly extracting hard information and a coherent story from the chaos. The many close-up photos of explosions and carnage-still with the power to shock and awe-remind us of the nerve of those who crept close enough to snap them. Many pictures by freelance photographer William Biggart, the only journalist killed while reporting the story, appear within. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

9/11 The Newseum, an interactive museum of news located in Arlington, VA, was operating as usual on September 11, 2001. After seeing smoke billowing from the ravaged Pentagon, its staff members immediately closed the museum and worked through the night assembling an exhibit of wire service photos from around the world. This book is the outgrowth of that initial exhibit. What sets it apart from the plethora of books on 9/11 is its focus. Told chronologically through 100 first-person vignettes and 75 powerful color and black-and-white photographs, the book covers the varied experiences of members of the press. Big-name anchors weigh in, but the stage belongs to the reporters and photographers who usually work behind the scenes. Authors Trost, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, and Shepard, award-winning media critic, provide a firsthand and very human look at the process behind the coverage, revealing how the immediacy of ongoing television and Internet coverage helped journalists, photojournalists, and anchors shape a nation's perception of a tragically unique day. A valuable addition, especially to school libraries. Audrey Snowden, formerly with Clark Univ., Worcester, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.