New Media Prof Blog

Happy Ending

Posted on 17. Jan, 2009 by admin in Flying

My first post here has absolutely nothing to do with new media exactly. But it DOES have to do with a great story. You see, having been a journalist for over 20 years, I truly enjoy the story of the Hudson Miracle. It is not only the extraordinary angles of a catastrophe averted by the quick actions of a stellar pilot, Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III (Sully) and co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles with the crew of the Airbus 320 and the 155 passengers who survived and their individual experiences, but also the contagious optimism the story has spread across America. Amid a peppering of bad economic news, joblessness on the rise, unrest in many pockets of the world, the threat of global terrorism and a mix of uncertainty yet hope for a new U.S. administration, this story has caught hold. We can’t get enough of it, from the praise of passengers for the incredible dead stick landing in the waters of the Hudson River, to the quick rescue by ferry boats that we all watched unfold while passengers clung to each other on the wings of Flight 1549. We’ve heard flashes of life itself almost stolen, told and retold by passengers who thought they would die and moments later knew they were alive. It is all good. You can watch the surveillance cameras that captured the actual landing and ferry response (this is the new media part). Sure, we’ll analyze the crash landing for months to come as I know from my experience as Executive Producer at CBS/Boston that we will, however we can revel in sharing this happy ending. From New York to California and all the places in between, we’ll remember this story of 2009.

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