Aaron Brown, who anchored CNN's 9/11 coverage that day from a rooftop, says the disaster also helped cement the idea that TV news – especially cable news channels – were expected to offer continuous coverage of major news events more often. Brown notes, instead of spending 24 hours covering a wide range of subjects, major American cable news channels excelled when they had one big, highly emotional story to cover that the audience wouldn't dare turn away from."The lesson of 9/11 was that you need one great story," he adds, noting that cable news channels still tend to cover a narrow range of popular stories each day. "You feel like a schmuck if you say, [after covering a huge tragedy], 'Let me tell you about the weather.'"
Late night talk shows found voice in tragedy
These days, viewers are used to late night talk show speaking out after a momentous national events, channeling the emotions of their audience into heartfelt speeches. Comedians like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah do this pretty regularly; on everything from the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building to the murder of George Floyd. But that TV tradition is also a 9/11 legacy, which began when David Letterman brought his Late Show back to CBS just six days after the attacks."There is only one requirement for any of us and that is to be courageous," Letterman said then, admitting in that moment that he – like many viewers – might be feeling confused, angry and full of grief. "Courage, as you might know, defines all other human behavior. And I believe — because I've done a little of this myself — pretending to be courageous is just as good as the real thing."
Later, Jon Stewart would offer similar thoughts on The Daily Show, and Saturday Night Live would feature then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani giving a somber speech before a group of firefighters before executive producer Lorne Michaels asked if the show could be funny again ("Why start now?" Giuliani deadpanned.). But Letterman had shown that his New York-based show would embody the comeback spirit of the city by returning to work as soon as possible. In the process, he set a powerful example: in the face of monumental events, hosts were now expected to address it seriously before returning to work. And there was nothing — not even an attack that killed thousands in the city — that could keep these shows off the air for long (Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has said he had Letterman's 9/11 show in mind last year, when he decided to resume hosting his show from his home during the COVID lockdowns.) "Letterman established the rule... and that had tremendous impact," said Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. "It's like, if your dad never cries, then when he cries, you pay attention."