Paula Zahn reports for CNN from New York City on September 12, the morning after the attacks. CNN ImageSource

First, the public appreciated the steady flow of information they received from the news media. While they particularly appreciated television and radio reports, they also benefited from the information conveyed by the rest of the media, including Internet sites. The mere fact that people could follow the news after the attacks—see familiar faces on the screen and hear familiar voices on the radio—helped the public to feel as though they were part of the story. They participated in this process of information sharing and appreciated what they saw, heard, and read.

	In the aftermath of 9/11, Mayor Giuliani expertly used the media to help him serve as a crisis manager.

Second, the public appreciated the media—particularly, though not exclusively, their local radio and television stations—for playing a major role in the management of the crisis. This role is not unusual for the media when a major catastrophe (whether manmade or a natural disaster) strikes. In these situations at least part of the media become a kind of extension of the government. Radio and television media in particular grant crisis managers unlimited access, providing them with the opportunity to communicate information directly to the public. The media assumed this role very prominently after the attacks of September 11.