Just as he did during last year’s name-reading at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero, 9/11 victim Nicholas Haros Jr. used his time to speak to those in Washington, D.C. who fail in their duty to treat the day with reverence. On Wednesday, his denouncement was of anti-Semitic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for her infamous “some people did something” chide against the solemn day.
It was a heartfelt and forceful rebuttal of Omar’s ignorance and callousness that went unreported by ABC, CBS, and NBC during their flagship evening newscasts. Those same networks either ignored her comments or went to bat for her when the story first broke.
And while the CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News positioned their 9/11 coverage during their A-blocks, ABC’s World News Tonight punted their coverage to the very end of the program.
“‘Some people did something,’ said a freshman congresswoman in Minnesota to support and justify the creation of CAIR. Today I'm here to respond to you exactly who did what to whom,” Haros declared as members of the audience clapped.
Being as polite as he could, Haros spelled out exactly what happened on September 11, 2001, so Omar could understand:
Madam, objectively speaking, we know who and what was done. There is no uncertainty about that. Why your confusion? On that day, 19 Islamic terrorists, members of al Qaeda killed over 3,000 people and caused billions of dollars of economic damage. Is that clear? But as to whom, I was attacked. Your relatives and friends were attacked. Our constitutional freedoms were attacked and our nation's founding on Judeo-Christian principles were attacked. That's what some people did. Got that now?
“We are here today Congresswoman to tell you and the squad just who did what to whom. Show respect in honoring them. Please, American patriotism in your position demand it. For god and country, amen,” he to another round of applause. He then began reading the names.
That was what the networks ignored, but what they did cover showed some telling details. Not only did ABC punt their 9/11 remembrance coverage to the end of their program, but they also dedicated the least amount of time covering it. In all, ABC’s World News Tonight spent less than two minutes (1:58) on the day. That was only a few seconds longer than their hype for Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate (1:30), which they’re hosting.
In contrast, CBS and NBC kept their 9/11 coverage in their A-blocks, though a few other stories popped up before it. NBC Nightly News spent three minutes and one second talking about 9/11 and the illness people were still getting because of their exposure to the toxins of Ground Zero.
CBS Evening News had the most coverage of 9/11 and the fallout. They clocked in with a whopping nine minutes and 39 seconds. Their reporting covered a wide range of topics: from memorial services attended by President Trump and Vice President Pence, to those illnesses, and to the soldiers still in Afghanistan. They also spoke with veterans of Afghanistan and gold star families who lost loved ones there.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
C-SPAN 9/11 Memorial Coverage
September 11, 2019NICHOLAS HAROS JR: I am here today to honor my 76-year-old mother Francis on the solemn 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks
Mom, we all miss you and love you very much.
(…)
“Some people did something,” said a freshman congresswoman in Minnesota to support and justify the creation of CAIR. Today I'm here to respond to you exactly who did what to whom.
[Applause]
Madam, objectively speaking, we know who and what was done. There is no uncertainty about that. Why your confusion? On that day, 19 Islamic terrorists, members of al Qaeda killed over 3,000 people and caused billions of dollars of economic damage. Is that clear? But as to whom, I was attacked. Your relatives and friends were attacked. Our constitutional freedoms were attacked and our nation's founding on Judeo-Christian principles were attacked. That's what some people did. Got that now?
We are here today Congresswoman to tell you and the squad just who did what to whom. Show respect in honoring them. Please, American patriotism in your position demand it. For god and country, amen.
[Applause]
(…)
