The Sept. 11 Phone Call

I was interim editor at a nearby newspaper about 20 years ago. I approached the office each day with the goal of turning out the best paper I could with the resources I had, staff and technology.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I entered the building a little earlier than usual, even more focused on my deadline than usual. I had stories to review and pages to design and only a few hours to get it all done.

Then the phone rang.

This call is both expected and odd. It was my publisher asking if I was watching the news. To this day, I remember thinking “well, that is a weird question for this time of morning.”...