9/11: Emergency Room - review

9/11: Emergency Room

(Channel 4)

An inaccurate mythology has built around the events of 9/11 since terrorist bombers flew two aircraft into the World Trade Centre. Conspiracy theories and propaganda have distorted simple truths.

Ten years on, people remember 9/11 for the changes it brought, rather than the minutiae of events. Details have been lost, submerged beneath a sea of sensationalism and spin.

9/11 has become the day the world changed, the day the West lost its innocence. Global security, or, rather, the security of the developed world, could no longer be taken for granted. On 9/11, the West's omnipotence ended.

The events of 9/11 have been reduced to banner headlines: It Was The Day When New Yorkers Lived Or Died. It Was The Day When The Towers Fell. The truth is, of course, that it was much, much more than that. It was when there were millions of stories, not just one. It was a day for heroism and selflessness. It was a day when instinctive acts of kindness helped to save lives. 9/11 was a day for redemption, a day when the best of humanity was on display – moments after the worst.

9/11: Emergency Room was an evocative and compelling hour-long documentary that told the story in a way that we could easily understand. Rather than focusing on the terrorists or the collapsing towers – events so alien and cataclysmic than none of us can really comprehend them – it told the stories of doctors, nurses and surgeons. By focusing on everyday people, and a small downtown hospital, we began to understand. The cloud of dust and ash cleared, we could see the reality of that day.

Avoiding repetition and eschewing cliché, 9/11 ER told the story of medics whose courage and bravery helped to reduce the death toll. By mixing previously-unseen footage with newly-filmed interviews of medics and survivors, it struck a poignant tone. The 10 paramedics who lost their lives were remembered. They had been crushed by debris at triage points as they offered assistance.

9/11ER was a beautiful and profoundly inspirational programme. It showed that even on America's darkest day, there was a light that did not go out. That light could not be extinguished by the murderous deeds of suicide bombers. And the stories themselves were simple: Good Samaritans helped thousands of people who would otherwise have perished. 9/11ER told numerous such tales in the simplest and most perfect way. It was broadcast journalism at its best.

This week coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Twin Towers disaster and there are numerous instances of exceptional programming across different stations. Events are being retold, memories are being broadcast. Few programmes, however, will connect the story with everyday people as well as 9/11 ER.

We were able to start to understand the sheer terror of events.

We marvelled at the ingenuity of those who sprang into action and saved lives.

We were inspired by the heroism and humility of medics.

We realised that there are those who make the world a better place.

By Andy Richardson