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I watched the apocalisse that befell my country on television in Rome, all in Italian. | |
| Television coverage of the attack on the World Trade Centers | ||
| I almost didn't even notice what was on television when I returned to my room in Rome, because I was so busy talking to my landlady. After my initial shock and horror, but before the collapse of the towers, I sat to watch the coverage unfold, from a producer's point of view. How they covered it, what words they used, what their style was. The video came from CNN, but the information was coming from an anchor--entirely in Italian. He was composed, yet very open about the raw, unfolding nature of what he was saying. There were times when you would see what I believed to be producers or news assistants come onto the set feeding him information. There was a woman sitting on the set to the side who was listening to something, I presume American television, there to answer questions or to immediately translate and interpret. It was looser than we are used to seeing in America, even on the cable networks. The anchor would openly ask questions of his producers--you could hear the voices, the queries, while you were watching the video. Of course, I lost my detached curiosity as soon as I saw the first tower collapse. To be an American in Rome while your country is attacked is “indicibile”. | ||
