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Posted: 09.11.09 ORLANDO | Sept. 11, 2001, was a Tuesday. That used to be our deadline day. The staff huddled in the conference room and watched the planes run into the towers from the only TV in the place – a 15-inch color TV with rabbit ears that was picking up Channel 9, the local ABC affiliate. When the second plane hit, we just went on autopilot. We tore apart much of the paper that was done and started over again. Related Content Our Orlando reporter at the time was a real go-getter who simply went out of the office and tried to get quotes from wherever and whomever. At one point she called me as she stood outside the Executive Airport at Tradeport in Orlando. The only media presence was herself and a photographer she knew from another publication. They watched as a Canadian “Give Kids the World” plane came out of nowhere. She said it looked so out of place, especially since most flights were grounded. They wondered if the plane was being used incognito to transport the president, who was in Sarasota at the time with U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam. We called our associates and affiliates with the Florida Catholic, one of whom couldn’t believe what we told her. I asked, “Have you turned on the TV at all today?” “No,” she said. “Just turn on your TV.” “What channel?” “Any channel.” That’s when I heard her say, “Oh my God.” She, like everyone else at the Florida Catholic, did whatever was asked and considered the tight deadline we were under. To tell you the truth, the rest of the day was a blur. But I know we left the office late. We never thought we did a good job with the front page. We just kept looking at it, trying to figure out the best headline and such. But it’s not like we wanted to be pithy or clever. It was a long, sad day and we never felt we could do the event justice. So we thought of what we could do for successive issues. Put the paper to bed and go to the next edition. I drove home with my hand on my belly, as I was pregnant with my second child (although, I don’t think I told anyone yet because it was early). I think I got home at midnight and kissed my son and husband before falling asleep. Gonzalez, the Florida Catholic’s projects editor was state editor in 2001. Please see this “Moment of Catholic History in Florida” to see how the newspaper followed up on the Sept. 11 story.
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