TV loosens restrictions on airing 9/11 images

Linda Ellman, director of the film "On Native Soil," said she spoke with several people directly affected by the attack before making it. Shown on Court TV, it is a documentary about the formation of the Sept. 11 commission.

Her film shows it all, including several pictures of people jumping or falling to their deaths — images that broadcast networks have avoided.

People involved in the film strenuously debated over whether that was right, with some believing it was too hard to look at, she said. But Ellman said it was an important part of what happened that day, and is particularly unforgettable for witnesses. There were no objections from Court TV, she said.

"We felt very strongly that what happened on Sept. 11 was awful," she said. "It was horrifying and tragic. To in any way not present it in its true form wouldn't be right."

The British-based makers of "Twin Towers," which uses both actors and interviews with real survivors to depict the experiences of people in the World Trade Center that day, said Discovery Network was wary about the project before becoming a partner and airing the film.

"The initial reaction was, ‘Oh, crikey, we couldn't do that'" when approached two years ago, said Richard Dale, creative director of Dangerous Films.

Time softens attitude toward images
Time seemed to soften that attitude, he said. The strong ratings and positive response to Discovery's "Flight 93" movie last year also convinced network executives that the time was right, he said.

Dale's film shows the plane striking the second tower, but only once. It shows one of the two towers collapsing. And, from a distance, it depicts one person falling to death.

"There are certain stories you couldn't ignore," he said. "One of the things that was most shocking was all of the people who jumped or fell, by some estimates as many as 200 people. That's the reality ... If you're trying to understand what happened to people on that day, you have to go there. But at the same time you have to do it in a way where it doesn't seem something like a snuff movie."

Once was enough, he said. To Dale, the more important shot was the look on the faces of actors portraying people trapped when they recognized what was happening.

Ellman, a former producer at NBC News, said she appreciates the difficulty these questions of sensitivity cause for networks, and are likely to cause for years to come.

It may be one of the reasons that CNN is sending its star anchor, Anderson Cooper, to Afghanistan instead of Ground Zero on Monday's anniversary.

"I'm biased," said CNN U.S. President Jonathan Klein. "I was working 10 blocks from the (World Trade Center) so it will always be evocative for me and I imagine it will be for millions of people. We're trying to do less dwelling on the past and more aggressive reporting on the future."

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