Introduction

On September 11, 2001, terrorists carried out the most deadly attack on U.S. soil in American history. Planes flew into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Passengers forced a fourth plane to crash into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing it from reaching its target. Almost 3,000 Americans were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There was tremendous fear, confusion, and uncertainty in the hours and days that followed September 11; and yet, there was also widespread news coverage of the attacks, including video, photographs, and audio.

This news media is now primary source material and evidence for historians interested in understanding how the attacks were initially reported, the editorial choices made, and the influence that coverage had on the American public.

In this lesson, you will examine the front pages of four different newspapers printed on September 11, 2001. For each newspaper, you will answer a series of questions and use your analysis to answer the lesson’s essential question:

Essential Question

What is the value of newspapers as historical primary sources?