Most people old enough to recall the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 can remember exactly what they were doing at the precise moment they got the news. Students working in the Daily 49er newsroom were no exception.
“There were no televisions in the newsroom or in the building,” said Phil Witte, editor-in-chief of the Daily 49er at the time. “No Facebook, no Twitter — the Internet was advanced but we couldn’t see what was going on. We were going by wire service.”
On campus, classes were canceled and buildings were evacuated out of fear for public safety. Staff and students were sent home and told that classes would resume the following day.
However, staff members for the Daily 49er remained on campus to publish a special edition of the paper, despite being asked by University Police to evacuate the building.
“We found a TV, put it close to the main office door outside,” said Raul Reis, journalism professor and news operations director for the Daily 49er at the time. “We all congregated and got AP updates with photos.”
The editorial staff stayed on campus until the paper had to be sent to the publishers, in case there were any last-minute developments.
“The moment was significant — it set the tone for the entire semester,” journalism department chair Chris Burnett said. “Students rose to the occasion. It was a great opportunity as a student to be part of a national event.”
Burnett was the adviser for the Daily 49er during the 2001 fall semester. He said it was necessary to work on the paper due to the importance of journalism in times of tragedy and confusion.
After 9/11, the journalism department put TVs with satellite service in the newsroom and in classes in the SSPA underground level due to lack of reception.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.