Yesterday was, of course, the 15th anniversary of 9/11. It was a day unlike any other, and for those of us in media, it was a workday unlike any other. Sometimes people fail to realize how difficult it is to sort out the truth when something of that magnitude is ongoing, minute by minute.
At one point, credible news sources we were depending on for information, were reporting that five planes were involved. Information ebbed and flowed all day, and at 680 News/CHFI we tried hard to not make the scariest day we’d experienced even scarier with unsubstantiated rumours. But everyone got caught at one time or another saying something that had to be retracted later. That’s how it works. You depend on credible sources to have the same checks and balances as you do, but it’s inevitable that the chaos of the day would lead to some mistakes.
Hand-written notes to U.S. President Bush as the day unfolded show how the Commander in Chief reacted. Frankly, I expected to see Ari Fleischer’s scribbles explaining simple words to George W., considered by many the dumbest and least competent President of the modern day. The notes show how Bush’s team scrambled to get his family to safety, who he talked to as he flew in Air Force One and how often false reports came in, including an erroneous update that a plane had crashed near Camp David. It’s a peek behind the scenes of a powerful man under incredible pressure. I eat this stuff up. If you do too, you can read the story and check out the scribbles HERE.