Where were you when the world stopped turning?
I recently heard that opening line from singer Alan Jackson’s song by the same name, which he wrote about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Twenty years, if you can believe it, have now passed since 9/11. And most of us do, indeed, remember where we were.
I was at home getting ready to head into work as managing editor of the Statesman Journal newspaper in Salem, Ore., when my wife said I needed to see what was happening on TV. An airplane had just flown into one of the towers at the World Trade Center. About 15 minutes later, another plane went into the second tower, and I was immediately on the phone alerting my staff that we all needed to get into the office immediately.
The events of that Tuesday in September would change our lives. Our staff that day would produce two “extras,” just the start of what was among the most emotional work weeks of my career. My editor at the time, Steve Smith, later shared how one of the ironies of being a journalist is the fact we take pride in our work on a day like 9/11 even though that work occurs in the midst of death and destruction and deals with the suffering of others.
“I found myself thinking about 9/11 as we’ve strived for focused, relevant and insightful coverage over the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
We were proud of what we accomplished in “our little newsroom,” he said, “but try to remember that pride must be counterbalanced by awareness that the world was aflame that day and people died.”
The events of 9/11 also marked a change in how news and information is disseminated and consumed. Smith shared that 9/11 was the last major story where consumers had to read newspapers or watch the major networks on TV to know what was happening. That’s no longer the case with a slew of competitors in what some would call a fractured media landscape and the 24-hour news cycle—one that is highly competitive and at times polarizing.
I found myself thinking about 9/11 as we’ve strived for focused, relevant and insightful coverage over the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic impact on the meeting and event industry. It’s reflected in several reports in this month’s issue and remains a complex topic as our industry strives for recovery.
In all of these hectic and stressful moments, though, take a moment to reflect on 9/11.
Despite our current struggles as an industry and the enormous impact to some of our fellow colleagues, we have many reasons to be thankful.
“I remember this from when I was young,” Jackson sang. “Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us. And the greatest is love.”
Be kind and be safe.
Until next time…
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
