1. What is Covering Catastrophe about?
Covering Catastrophe chronicles the events of September 11th through the first-hand accounts of the broadcast journalists who covered them. These recollections are raw and compelling and provide a historically accurate look into what professionals in radio and television experienced that day.
2. Will I know any of the contributors in the book?
Yes. The book contains more than 160 personal reflections from nationally recognized television and radio journalists. Among them: Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Ann Compton, Ron Insana, John King, Larry King, Cynthia McFadden, Dan Rather, Jon Scott, and the late Peter Jennings.
3. Why did you write Covering Catastrophe?
Like many journalists who covered 9/11, I had a difficult time putting the tragedy behind me. The images I saw and the sounds I heard haunted me for months and I couldn’t shake them. Ultimately, a friend recommended I write down everything I experienced, and it helped. I imagined other journalists would benefit from the same opportunity. The book would not have been written, however, without my partners: Phil Hirschkorn, Melinda Murphy, Robyn Walensky, and Mitchell Stephens.
4. Where were you on September 11?
I was buried under rubble after the second tower collapsed and taken to Bellevue Hospital in an ambulance. In the Emergency Room, nurses and doctors cut off my clothes and tubes were put down my throat to help me breathe. I was working for WNBC-TV at the time and was sent to the World Trade Center to help cover the story. Remarkably, my injuries weren’t serious and I ended-up doing a phone interview with anchor Chuck Scarborough from my hospital bed.
5. Is Covering Catastrophe suitable for children?
Yes. It is important that older students learn what happened on 9/11 and who better to learn it from than the men and women who reported what they heard and saw that day. These seasoned journalists (including many crucial players behind the scenes) were true eyewitnesses. Covering Catastrophe takes readers behind the scenes of one of the most important days in U.S history.
6. There are a number of books about September 11. Why should I buy this one?
All royalties go to good places, not our wallets. When Covering Catastrophe was first published we partnered with The Broadcast Engineer Relief Fund, which benefits the families of the broadcast engineers killed in the World Trade Center attack, and the Citigroup Relief Fund, which provides scholarships to children whose parents were killed on 9/11. We are now contributing all earnings to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Covering Catastrophe is also the only 9/11 book to be turned into a documentary by the U.S State Department and distributed to embassies and consulates around the world.