Customer Reviews

What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

CBS's new combination book and DVD covering the events of 9/11 with an introduction by Dan Rather is an interesting but non-essential document primarily about the network's own coverage of one of America's worst days. The DVD begins with CBS's early morning news coverage of the first airline crash into the Trade Center's north tower. Unfortunately for Bryant Gumbel (who is trying to figure out what is happening in spite of a stationary camera from across New York City and with the "assistance" of a few eyewitnesses who apparantly can only seem to tell him what he can clearly see with his own eyes) his coverage of this horrific day begins sketchily. The DVD continues with Dan Rather hosting and jumping forward to later events of the day and the week, and concluding with other video segments from news programs such as 48 hours (which reflect back on the day from various viewpoints.)

The book itself is perhaps a more important document, with good black-and-white photos, an excellent timeline of events and the story of September 11th as it unfolded for various CBS correspondents, relatives of the victims, eyewitnesses and reporters for other publications such as The New Yorker, the Village Voice, Newsweek, the Washington Post, etc. Unfortunately, CBS's coverage of the attacks on the Trade Center in the book consist of the same silly transcripts between Bryant Gumbel and the "know-nothing" eyewitnesses on the street who were supposedly "seeing" the events unfold.

A better document of 9/11 is CNN's production of "America Remembers" now on DVD. Moving and very thorough, this DVD follows the events of the day as they unfolded in the newsroom, on the streets of New York and Washington and as they also unfolded for President Bush (a fascinating chapter.) CNN's coverage also includes the weeks and months following the attack including the war in Afghanistan.

September 11th was a day that many of us will remember. Some would like to forget but for many, they will not forget this day because the truth is, this day has charged our lives forever.

With several books on the market about September 11th, "What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001 - In Words, Pictures, and Video" by CBS News, Dan Rather has one thing going that pushes this book up as one of the primary purchases for those looking for books on 9/11 and that is this book includes a 2-hour full length DVD.

The book focuses the experiences of individuals, individuals from other publications and people working for CBS. Dan Rather mentions in the beginning how people like to ask one another, what were you doing when you first heard of the first attack on the first tower. This book features those articles and interviews. The book shows black and white photos that many of us have seen on newspapers and other publications and it is definitely an interesting read.

But of course, the highlight is the DVD. The DVD features in documentary style round two dozen chapters focusing on the first report with Bryant Gumbel talking to people near the World Trade Center and the shock when the second plane hit the other tower. The DVD features footage from the Pentagon after it been hit. CBS reporters who were near the WTC when it hit, reporting of their situation and how they were saved and to the rescue operation of Ground Zero.

This DVD also features something for everyone. Analysis of what has happened, the heroes of 911, the children who lost a parent, the search for survivors, the NYFD pipers who have been playing everyday for a funeral for their lost brothers, people who survived the WTC, how flags were selling out throughout the US, business owners who lost their business and are in agony of wondering what happened to their employees and so much more.

I have watched this DVD several times, showing it to friends and family and the events are still fresh in our memory even though we approach the one year anniversary of 911.

I highly recommend this book/DVD. While books do help to refresh our memory of the dreadful events of the day but also the American spirit that lives, by seeing it via DVD and in video...it makes this item worth purchasing.

I have to believe that CBS News could come up with a better DVD on the events of 9/11 than this one. I was hoping to see the CBS live coverage of the tragedy but was greatly disappointed. Outside of about 10 minutes of live coverage of the world trade center attacks, the vast majority of the DVD is nothing but segments from 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. Human interest stories are great to fill out this sort of thing but there is far too much of it here. I was astounded to note that CBS apparently had no live coverage of the collapse of either tower. And no mention at all was made of Flight 93 as the events unfold in this program - such coverage only occupying an isolated 5-10 minutes halfway through the DVD. CBS had an opportunity here to give us and future generations a real feel for an historic event as it unfolded ... and they blew it.

I purchased this book/DVD after seeing a very moving display of actual World Trade Center rubble. I was greatly impressed with the book. It goes into great detail of the timeline and events that occured that day. However the DVD really only had a few moments of live coverage then turns to clips of past 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. In the hour and a half that it takes to watch this DVD, there are barely 10 minutes devoted to the flight that crashed in PA. The book is something that I would reccommend be in every home, but if the DVD was scratched beyond repair it wouldn't be so bad.

This book was brought to my attention at the National Review website. They thought the DVD was great. I agree. I watched the DVD and was amazed how the emotions started to well up in me. I heard the news over the radio on 9/11 so this was the first time that I got to see the "raw" newscast as it happened. The only problem that I have is that there is no mention to the flight that went down in Pennsylvania.

The included DVD is probably a lot more interesting than the book itself. The DVD contains actual news stories from the day of the attacks, including the live footage as the attacks were happening. The book contains transcripts, reprints of news stories, and actual accounts from a variety of people on CBS's news staff. None of this is new or filled with revelations, and in fact many of the accounts in here are also recounted in other books (most notably Covering Catastrophe). Still, if you're interested in oral histories, it's not terrible. The DVD, especially, gives one a feel for the day itself, as disaster upon disaster unfolded and (for awhile, at least) it seemed the world was coming apart.

My only complaint is that the included footage is edited severally at points; I would have preferred a straight, unedited feed from the time of the first reports on. But that would have taken too many discs, and so its understandable that CBS had to edit it down.

Anyway, buy this book for the DVD, but don't expect much from the text.

This purchase is one of the best retrospectives of 9/11 I've seen. It contains comentary from the morning of September 11th and the days following, origional broadcast by CBS. Its a little had to watch because its like reliving that dreadful day. But is a truthfull untainted picture of thoes days in September 2001.
God bless!

WHAT WE SAW BY CBS NEWS SHOULD BY READ BY EVERY AMERICAN WHO WANTS TO LEARN HOW TELEVISION REPORTED THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11,2001. THANK YOU DAN RATHER & CBS NEWS FOR THIS BOOK.

i bought this book and dvd and i am so glad i did. this was one of the worst days in american history and this print and video record is very much needed. it catches all the angles of this horriable day. a must for every american.

I agree with the reviewer who identified this as a DVD accompanied by a book. The initial moments after 9/11 began are well documented, even Bryant Gumbel's missing the second plane flying towards the second tower. What is there is Gumbel's astonishment, and lack of words, when he first views the Pentagon damage; and later, as Dan Rather takes over at 10 a.m., in the background, unmistakably you hear Gumble's "Wooooow." Once Rather takes over there are two and three hour jumps, which just don't make for an even rendering of the events. However, in contrast to the CNN DVD, which focuses on what the U.S. government did after 9/11, the CBS DVD focuses on how people reacted ... some in unique and astonishing ways. I'm still looking for a simple documentary of 9/11, warts and all, of the reporting of the events from 8:48 a.m. through approximately 12:00 noon, I want to see the reactions of the newscasters. On the other hand, this is much better than the CNN documentary.