From the professionals: KTVL 10 News--making a difference

Newspaper Research Journal, Winter 2003 by Dowsett, Libby

My station sent me along with close to 1,000 Oregonians who packed their bags, with little notice and headed to New York City just weeks after the attacks. The people of "Flight for Freedom" arrived with money in hand to pump life back into the Manhattan tourism industry and show New Yorkers we care.

My experience as a journalist on the "Flight for Freedom" can be described as a thrill to be covering a story in New York City, exhaustion with the long hours and lack of time for meals and complete awe of the historical significance of the story. My experience as an American is hard to put into words.

In small groups, we made our way to Ground Zero from our hotel. We stepped out of the subway to face a large, torched black high rise. We walked for blocks, trying to find the best view of the fallen towers. During the trek, we coughed as the smoky, wet air got into our lungs. We passed buildings in shambles. What are these buildings? Why don't we hear about them on television?

The collapsed towers looked similar to what I had seen on TV. People made their way down to the end of a blocked street to get the closest view possible. It was quiet except for the coughing. New Yorkers were getting their own firsthand look at the disaster. Some noticed our "Oregon loves NY" pins. They thanked each of us personally for coming.

During the next few days, more warm welcomes came from New Yorkers. The clerk at the deli has a cousin who used to live in Oregon. He was amazed we had come all this way. The bellboy at the Waldorf-Astoria has a friend who once visited Oregon. He is glad we were here. He was about to be laid off. An elderly man during the Columbus Day Parade, openly crying, cheered our group as we walked down Fifth Avenue. We were thrilled to be an entry in the parade. For me, this was the highpoint of the trip.

On our third day, America began dropping bombs on Afghanistan. Oregonians, many who had never been to New York, felt the immediate vulnerability of being in a potential target city for retaliation. Back in Oregon, we tended to feel numbingly safe. I began to notice the constant sounds of sirens and loud unexplained noises. Had they been here all along? How could I have not noticed? We still felt proud to be here, supporting the New Yorkers. The "Flight for Freedom" group continued on to its large dinner party in Chinatown. My co-workers and I rushed back to CBS with Oregonians' reactions to the bombings.

As we stood in line at Kennedy Airport, waiting to pass through intense security, I was sad to leave the city behind. I hoped other states would organize their own "Flights for Freedom." I felt good that we had played a part in the post-Sept. 11 recovery. I am glad many more New Yorkers can say they've met an Oregonian. I'm also relieved I helped clear up the rumor that Oregon is located somewhere in 'Jersey.'

Dowsett is a television news reporter/anchor for KTVL, the CBS station in Medford, Oregon.