Witnesses To 9/11: A Night Of Remembrance And Recovery

 

Story and photographs by Sean D. Elliot

NEW YORK, NY (September 9, 2011) – Former CNN Anchor Aaron Brown fought off tears Thursday night as he explained to a rapt audience at Pace University why he has turned-down offers over the last 10 years to speak about his experience reporting on the events of September 11, 2011 in New York.

Brown, who was CNN’s lead on-air personality for 16-hours that day, said he never wanted to feel like he was profiting personally from the tragedy.

When initially contacted by NPPA Region 2 Chair Todd Maisel, a New York Daily News photographer who covered the destruction of the World Trade Center, Brown continued to refuse the invitation to speak. Maisel persisted, and when Brown heard the planned audience for his address, journalists who had covered the events of 9/11, he finally agreed. “Get me an airplane ticket and I’ll be there,” Brown said he told Maisel.

Brown’s keynote at “Witness To Tragedy And Recovery,” which he concluded with a lament for the United States’ lost opportunity to make a new start in the wake of the attacks, was the opening to an evening of discussion and reflection upon that day, the effects on those who covered it, and what has been learned as the nation continues to recover.

A panel made up of visual journalists and academics made opening statements before taking questions from the audience of over 200, moderated by WABC-TV reporter Michelle Charlesworth. The evening of remembrance and recovery was co-sponsored by NPPA and by Pace University in Manhattan.

The panel included David Handschuh of the New York Daily News; Aristide Economopoulos of the The Star-Ledger; James Estrin of The New York Times; Joe Woolhead, a former laborer and film student who rushed to Ground Zero and has continued to document the rebuilding; and Shams Tarek, who was editor of the Pace University student newspaper and led his fellow students in documenting the impact of the attacks on the Pace community. Also on the panel were Pace University professors Anthony Mancini and Matthew Bolton; Steven Livingston of George Washington University; and arts and social critic Richard B. Woodward.

The accompanying photography exhibit, originally curated by former New York Post photographer Bolivar Arellano as a benefit for 9/11 first responders, will be on display at Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts through September 25.

 

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