In A New Video Series from TJFR Press, 20 Current and Former Wall Street Journal Staffers Recall Their Traumatic 9/11 Experiences

DENVER, Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For many reporters and editors at The Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2001, was one of the worst days — and one of the best days — of their professional careers.

In an exclusive video series from TJFR Press, timed to coincide with the release of the new book, "September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story," 20 current and former reporters and editors with The Wall Street Journal share their traumatic experiences that day and the impact those events had on their lives.

On 9/11, the fallout from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers destroyed the Journal's headquarters, located directly across the street from the Twin Towers.

Multiple Journal staff members were eyewitnesses to scenes of death and gore, including severed human limbs and heads, and the unforgettable death leaps of the desperate World Trade Center jumpers.

Bereft of their newsroom, scattered throughout the five boroughs of Manhattan, with scanty phone service, and without the ability to communicate effectively with the paper's top editors, the staff of the Journal nevertheless rallied to produce a Pulitzer Prize-winning edition of the paper.

For all the hardships they endured, the horrors they witnessed, and the unfathomable loss of life that surrounded them, the fact that the Journal's reporters and editors overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles came to be one of the highlights of their careers, the journalists recounted.

The videos are divided into four reunion panels and last about one hour each. The panels are available to screen for free to everyone who purchases a copy of "September Twelfth." Instructions on how to access the exclusive interviews are contained inside the book.

Signed copies of "September Twelfth" are available in hardcover and softcover at no additional cost, exclusively from http://GutenbergsStore.com Sales tax and shipping (U.S. only) are included in the cover price.

The book is also available in softcover from Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/NineTwelve.

"These are unique interviews because they not only recap the journalists' experiences 20 years ago but also reveal how each of their lives were changed in the aftermath of 9/11," says Dean Rotbart, who moderates each panel and is the author of "September Twelfth."

Rotbart notes that most of the journalists interviewed no longer work for The Wall Street Journal, which makes their reunions all the more special.

The four WSJ panels feature (in alphabetical order):

John Blanton
Gwendolyn "Wendy" Bounds
Marcus Brauchli
John Bussey
Philip Connors

Helene Cooper
Ianthe Jeanne Dugan
Brian Gruley
Daniel Henninger
Jon Hilsenrath

Phil Kuntz
Jesse Lewis
Joanne Lipman
Alan Murray
Cathy Panagoulias

Jim Pensiero
Dave Pettit
Joshua Prager
Lawrence "Larry" Rout
Michael Siconolfi

In "September Twelfth," author Rotbart draws on a large, unpublished cache of internal emails and related documents — as well as interviews with dozens of core members of the Journal's 9/11 editorial and production teams — to chronicle the tense, hour-by-hour struggle of Journal reporters and editors to regroup and find a way to deliver a newspaper on September 12th.

"September Twelfth" is the tale of journalism at its finest. But it is also a universal and timeless comeback story offering models of courage, determination, and resurrection.

Journalism groups, independent booksellers, schools, businesses, museums, and others interested in purchasing bulk copies, or copies for resale, may place their orders at [email protected]. For pricing details and additional information, phone 1-800-TJFR-659 (800-853-7659).

TJFR Press, launched in 1987, previously published the TJFR Business News Reporter, an award-winning trade newsletter focused on influential business and financial news organizations.

To schedule interviews or media appearances with Rotbart, contact TJFR Press at [email protected] or phone 303-296-1200.

SOURCE TJFR Press