Dan Rather Talks About 'What We Saw'
CBS News has joined with publisher Simon & Schuster to produce a unique record of the events of Sept. 11. "What We Saw" is a book filled with the recollections of reporters, survivors and commentators, but also includes a DVD with powerful excerpts of CBS's unprecedented live coverage.
The following is an excerpt taken from inside the cover of the book:
"September 11, 2001, will be eternally frozen in our memories. Where we were; what we thought; what we felt; what we heard; and especially what we saw will stay with us forever. It was a day -- defined for each of us in an instant -- that we will share with our children and our grandchildren in the years to come. In words and images -- and on a full-length DVD -- What We Saw captures those moments.
Dan Rather's introduction sets the stage for an introspective look at the catastrophic events of Sept. 11. 'What We Saw' follows a day that started out like any other but ended in silence and sorrow -- from the first interviews by phone with eyewitnesses to a plane crashing into Tower 1 of the World Trade Center to the Towers of Light tribute, six months later.
As the world came to a halt that September morning, Dan Rather and his colleagues at CBS News worked tirelessly to provide detailed, accurate coverage of that day and the days that followed. Not only are the events that shook America's biggest city and its capital closely documented, but the tragedies that occurred elsewhere are also examined, from the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to the repercussions felt in a small New Jersey commuter town.
Among the contributors are Jules Naudet, a French filmmaker who was working on a documentary about New York City firefighters when his subjects were called into service that September morning; Newsweek's Anna Quindlen, whose thoughts turn to a young family likely headed on vacation aboard United Airlines Flight 175, The New Republic's David Grann, who captures the feeling of hopelessness felt by the families searching for missing loved ones; and CBS's Ed Bradley, who describes the volunteers who flocked to Manhattan with an overwhelming desire to help.
Each moment of Sept. 11 and its aftermath is portrayed with candor and honesty by the CBS News correspondents, photographers, camera operators, and journalists who were there. 'What We Saw' is an invaluable documentary of a day that changed our world forever."
Simon & Schuster and CBS News are donating 10 percent of profits on sales of "What We Saw" to the Robin Hood Fund.
The Robin Hood Relief Fund was established by the Robin Hood Foundation to help victims of the World Trade Center attack and its economic aftermath. In particular, Robin Hood is working to ensure that the needs of lower-income victims are met in both the immediate and long term.
Because Robin Hood's board of directors underwrites all administrative costs, 100 percent of the money raised for the relief fund goes directly to the most effective organizations aiding victims and their families.
For more information, please call 212-227-6601 or visit robinhood.org.
To make a donation, send checks payable to:
The Robin Hood Relief Fund
826 Broadway, 7th Floor,
New York, NY 10009.