Early in the 8 a.m. et hour on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer led a panel discussion on whether the September 11th attacks were staring to be forgotten: "...some people are saying that the attention for this event, these anniversaries, is waning, and that people have moved on. 20
years from now, are our children going to grow up – be in a world where
the significance of this event, those attacks, is lost?" [Listen to the audio [1] or watch the video after the jump]
A little over thirty minutes later, NBC fulfilled that fear by skipping the moment of silence [2] at 8:46 a.m. et commemorating the first plane hitting the first tower of the World Trade Center, instead airing an interview with Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kris Jenner. ABC's Good Morning America and CBS This Morning both observed the moment of silence.
In response to Lauer's panel question, advertising executive Donny
Deutsch specifically implored the press to keep the memory of the
attacks alive for future generations: "It's actually up to us as parents
and as media people....The media, this is our responsibility, and as
parents, anything else to continue to do it. Unfortunately, I think the
answer to that question is a lot of people do start to, not move on, but
lose the significance, and we can't let that happen."
Beyond the panel segment, in the 7:30 half hour co-host Savannah
Guthrie interviewed World Trade Center survivor Pasquale Buzzelli, who
shared his story for the first time. The show also managed to squeeze in
news briefs at the top of the 8:00 and 9:00 hours.
Here is a full transcript of the September 11 panel discussion:
8:10AM ET
MATT LAUER: We're back with a new edition of Today's Professionals.
Here to tackle some hot topics, Star Jones, Donny Deutsch and Paula
Abdul is filling in for Dr. Nancy. Paula, welcome, good to have you
here.
PAULA ABDUL: I'm thrilled to be here, thank you.
LAUER:
Nice to have you lend some sanity to this group. Guy's let's tackle
some subjects. We are sitting here on September 11th, the 11th
anniversary of the attacks that changed this country and the world
forever, and yet some people are saying that the attention for this
event, these anniversaries, is waning, and that people have moved on. 20
years from now, are our children going to grow up – be in a world where
the significance of this event, those attacks, is lost?
DONNY DEUTSCH: It's actually up to us as parents and as media people.
And like any horrific tragedy, the Holocaust, it is up to the – because
the natural human tendency, unfortunately, is for people, as each year
goes by, to not forget, but to move farther and farther away. And this
gentleman who was here before, [9/11 survivor] Pasquale [Buzzelli], this
amazing story. So we can't let that happen and it's up to us to do
that.
LAUER: Do you see it happening, though? Do you feel it happening?
ABDUL: I don't. I think evolution allows us to move on, but there's not
a day that goes by that we don't remember the devastation and the
destruction and the sense of loss, experiencing loss. You remember it,
but you do move forward.
STAR JONES: Every time you fly in to New York and you don't see the
towers, it makes me remember. I'm not sure that the next generation, who
never saw the towers, will feel the exact same way.
LAUER: Yeah, but you say it's up to us. So what do we need to do to make sure the significance remains?
DEUTSCH: This is both – you know, the media gets blamed for a lot. The
media, this is our responsibility, and as parents, anything else to
continue to do it. Unfortunately, I think the answer to that question is
a lot of people do start to, not move on, but lose the significance,
and we can't let that happen.
JONES: The people that it actually affected personally have moved through. They'll never move on, and I understand that.