NBC at 9:00 on 9/11:
The news anchors did not have a lot of information, but they were reporting with a live video feed of the twin towers. They interviewed a few witnesses on the phone lines, all seemed shaken by the attack. The reporters, however, kept a calm, but serious demeanor. They wondered whether it was an air traffic accident or something related or similar to the terrorist bomb plot in 1990. Once the second plane hit, the whole production room was shocked, as well as the witnesses on the phone lines. The graphics were horrifying in themselves, and nobody knew what to think of the situation. The only visual on the television screen was the live feed from the twin towers that occasionally zoomed in on the explosions. As the anchors realize the plane was in fact, a large 737, it becomes clear that it is not an accident. The feed goes in and out and there is a sense of chaos in the newsroom.
NBC at 9:00 on 9/17:
The anchors now have a solemn expression on their faces as they reflect on the tragedy. There are many prepared segments about the civilians lives returning to normalcy, including the reopening of the stock exchange, as well as the ferry that takes commuters to their office. These segments show many closeups on faces, displaying the mixed emotions the people are feeling, and videos of the smog that is still hovering above the city. The anchors also mention the heroes of 9/11 who sacrificed their lives. In huge contrast to the broadcast from the day of, this broadcast was a planned program of a series of taped segments. It was more emotionally charged than the technical speech of the anchors from 9/11, and it reflected the bitter aftermath of the national tragedy, especially for those who work and live in New York.
CCTV (China Central TV) at 1:00 PM on 9/11:
The station first played a clip from CNN of one of the towers collapsing, and the chaos that followed. The news anchor then explained what happened, including more footage of a plane flying into the towers. Most of the clips were of the towers smoking and collapsing, with some clips of people on the ground and police men directing citizens in the street. The news anchor kept a very technical tone, stating fact after fact. She then proceeds to summarize the reactions of other countries after the attack, including England, France, and Afghanistan — where the government said they did not know of the attack and had nothing to do with it. The broadcast then begins to analyze the two towers, saying how they were the tallest in the area, and the material of the buildings.
CCTV (China Central TV) at 1:10 PM on 9/17:
On the following Monday, the station has similarly prepared a series of taped segments. In the morning hours, the archive showed this channel with a Chinese speaking anchor, however, around 1:00 PM, the station switched to an English speaking anchor who then talked about 9/11. The anchor mentioned that the stock exchange was reopening, displaying a clip of the “emotionally charged” opening ring by policeman and fire department workers . He then described that the routine was returning to normal, people were encouraged to go back to work, but there were minor changes in security. He also mentioned that Asian shares experienced sharp drops at the stock exchange. CCTV also showed a video of President Bush and the first lady returning from Camp David and talking to the press. President Bush mentioned that what people witnessed on 9/11 was “evil” and a “big mistake” and promised that the US will fight back.
Both channels had similar structure in terms of coverage on the day of and the Monday after. The NBC news anchors were serious and calm until the second plane hit, which then brought on shock and confusion. The Chinese channel broadcasted the attack a few hours after it happened, and the news anchor had a matter of fact tone with no emotions. The Chinese cable focused a lot on the collapse of the tower, while NBCs live coverage at 9:00 showed only until a while after the second tower was hit, and before it collapsed. Both channels mainly played the same videos repeatedly. On Monday, September 17, the coverage was more organized. NBC played programs about 9/11 all day, with many pre-taped segments about heroes, hospitals, interviews with witnesses, etc. CCTV also had a few pre-taped segments, but the coverage was about 10-15 minutes. While NBC covered many poignant stories of individuals, CCTV gave a more general coverage, less emotionally charged. After 9/11, most channels in the US covered the attack most hours of the day. On NBC, there were many tributes, programs devoted to ground zero, and personal stories. The US channels focused more on stories, and the emotional side of the tragedy while foreign nations seemed to focus more on reactions from the US and from other countries.