Linda Ellerbee takes right approach in 9/11 special
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Linda Ellerbee hosts "Nick News Report on 9/11," a special aimed at kids too young to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and those who experienced them as children.
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Linda Ellerbee is the calming voice of history in the "Nick News Report on 9/11," airing Thursday at 9 p.m. on Nickelodeon.
The half-hour special is aimed at kids too young to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the teens and young adults who experienced them as children. It begins with a simply stated description of what happened, evolving into what this means to America 10 years later.
Nickelodeon commissioned a study by Harvest Research and The Harrison Group that showed many of today's younger children learned about 9/11 from a parent, typically after hearing a reference to it on television or at school.
When: 9 p.m. Thursday on Nickelodeon.
But "you may get a lot of information that's wrong," says Ms. Ellerbee at the outset of the show. She adds that the graphic images and details of that day were intentionally omitted from the program, yet "the simple fact of what happened is scary."
She suggests finding a trusted adult to watch the show with, and given the subject matter, it's an excellent suggestion.
Wearing jeans and red Chuck Taylors, Ms. Ellerbee looks casual, like a trusted friend. And after 20 years of talking to kids about serious matters, she is. She begins with facts, then segments that cut to first-person accounts by those who were there. They provide a compelling window into the fear and confusion of what went horribly awry on a bright, sunny Tuesday morning.
Lila Abramson was in her fifth-grade classroom five blocks away when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Her teacher quickly closed the window blinds, she said. Later, after the towers fell, she remembers being carried by a firefighter trying to hasten the fleeing crowds.
First Published August 30, 2011 12:00 am
