In September 2001, the AP came together for an unprecedented news challenge that ushered in a new era. Twenty years later it reconvened to help make sense of the world that 9/11 left behind. It did so with style, substance and an unerring customer focus — and by harnessing the power of the global news organization.
Managing Editor Brian Carovillano had called for coverage that captured the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in a focused way, chronicling the changes in the world without being merely a look back. AP’s news staff was up to the challenge, starting last spring with brainstorming sessions that involved colleagues across the world. Robust communication with customers, who wanted their material early, was baked into the process from the outset, as was a platform that showcased content, including coveted archival video and an astonishing array of freshly curated photos, eagerly sought by AP’s members and clients.
Visitors to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., participate in a sunset memorial service, Sept. 10, 2021, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
A chalk portrait of Deora Frances Bodley, from San Diego, is carried along the flight path leading to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Sept. 9, 2021. Forty chalk portraits of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 were created by chalk artists over two days leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
Former President George W. Bush bumps fists with Flight 93 National Memorial superintendent Stephen M. Clark, left, after participating in a Service of Remembrance at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Sept. 11, 2021.
AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
A National Park Service ranger stands in front of the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. before a Service of Remembrance, Sept. 11, 2021.
AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar
An American flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington, Sept. 11, 2021, at sunrise on the morning of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The flag is draped over the site of impact at the Pentagon.
AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite
Television crews prepare for coverage from the Pentagon in Washington, Sept. 10, 2021, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and his wife, Hollyanne Milley, walk together at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial site after participating in a wreath ceremony, Sept. 11, 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
AP Photo / Alex Brandon
James Maroon, left, cleans the south pool of the 9/11 Memorial with a vacuum in New York, Aug. 4, 2021. On Sept. 11, 2001 he was going to work at the New York Mercantile Exchange, just west of the twin towers, when the first plane hit.
AP Photo / Mark Lennihan
The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine, lower right, is illuminated for the first time, Sept. 10, 2021, at the World Trade Center complex in New York, marking a milestone in the reconstruction of the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11. The memorial pools in the footprint of the former twin towers are at center.
AP Photo / Mark Lennihan
A child peers over the edge of the north pool as visitors browse the walking paths at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, Sept. 8, 2021.
AP Photo / John Minchillo
A firefighter places his hand on the names on the parapet of the south pool at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, Sept.11, 2021, during ceremonies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
AP Photo / John Minchillo
Throughout the summer, staffers worked to capture a variety of themes, among them: the rise of conspiracy theories, changes in air travel, the experiences of Muslim Americans over the past 20 years and ways of remembering 9/11.
Longtime Afghanistan correspondent Kathy Gannon took a break from dangerous spot coverage to write the opening installment of the anniversary package, and the “centerpieces” that moved in advance of Sept. 11 represented AP coverage at its very best: global, multiformat, customer-focused and brimming with the expertise of journalists who have covered their respective disciplines for years, if not decades. Each day brought innovative video, compelling photos, insightful writing and a new, richly designed digital presentation bringing it all together.
Meanwhile, a parallel track of coverage captured other important themes, including how 9/11 is taught in an era of disinformation, what is happening at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, the legacy of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how the health concerns at ground zero are playing out two decades later. Newly revealing first-person accounts from AP staffers who were there that day showed what it was like to live through Sept. 11.
The work was amplified by sharp curation and advance social media work. And on the anniversary itself, AP’s East Region and Washington bureau collaborated to chronicle a nation still in mourning but also moving on.