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The Flag: The Basis for the CNN Films Documentary
TO COINCIDE WITH THE MAJOR DOCUMENTARY, THE FLAG , FROM CNN FILMS—BASED ON DAVID FRIEND'S MASTERFUL ACCOUNT OF THE ICONIC IMAGE THAT DEFINED AMERICAN RESILIENCE AFTER 9/11
The Flag tells the fascinating and mysterious story behind the iconic image that captivated a nation. Excerpted from his critically acclaimed book Watching the World Change , journalist David Friend, an editor at Vanity Fair , reveals how a chance moment captured on camera—showing three firefighters hoisting a dust-laden Old Glory at Ground Zero on 9/11—inspired a nation during its darkest hour. But equally captivating is the maelstrom that surrounded the photograph in the months and years following its initial publication.
Friend brings us behind the scenes of the photograph's life, from its first exposure in a New Jersey newspaper to its instant fame as a rallying point for an embattled people looking for strength and a sense of community. In evenhanded and lucid prose, he describes the attempts to commodify the image, the heartbreaking appeals of families of the fallen to use it for memorial services, and the struggles of the three firemen to live with their unexpected fame.
Friend also traces the confounding path of the flag itself, which has been missing for twelve years, from the debris of the fallen towers, to Navy ships bound for the Middle East, to the hands of high-ranking dignitaries, showing how somewhere along the way the original was replaced by one completely different.
The Flag —now a CNN Films documentary, by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker—is ultimately the tale of a nation desperate for a source of strength and finding one in an image of men pushing forward despite devastation. It's the story of the best of our natures and the worst; of how imagery can guide and beguile us, but also of how an instant caught on film became a symbol of grace in the face of hopelessness and despair.
The Flag tells the fascinating and mysterious story behind the iconic image that captivated a nation. Excerpted from his critically acclaimed book Watching the World Change , journalist David Friend, an editor at Vanity Fair , reveals how a chance moment captured on camera—showing three firefighters hoisting a dust-laden Old Glory at Ground Zero on 9/11—inspired a nation during its darkest hour. But equally captivating is the maelstrom that surrounded the photograph in the months and years following its initial publication.
Friend brings us behind the scenes of the photograph's life, from its first exposure in a New Jersey newspaper to its instant fame as a rallying point for an embattled people looking for strength and a sense of community. In evenhanded and lucid prose, he describes the attempts to commodify the image, the heartbreaking appeals of families of the fallen to use it for memorial services, and the struggles of the three firemen to live with their unexpected fame.
Friend also traces the confounding path of the flag itself, which has been missing for twelve years, from the debris of the fallen towers, to Navy ships bound for the Middle East, to the hands of high-ranking dignitaries, showing how somewhere along the way the original was replaced by one completely different.
The Flag —now a CNN Films documentary, by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker—is ultimately the tale of a nation desperate for a source of strength and finding one in an image of men pushing forward despite devastation. It's the story of the best of our natures and the worst; of how imagery can guide and beguile us, but also of how an instant caught on film became a symbol of grace in the face of hopelessness and despair.
81 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2013
About the author
David Friend
61 books8 followersDavid Friend is an editor, author, and award-winning documentary producer with a career spanning journalism, photography, and film. Since 1998, he has been the editor of creative development at Vanity Fair, following his tenure as Life magazine’s director of photography. His work has shaped major journalistic projects, including the 2005 Vanity Fair story that revealed FBI insider Mark Felt as “Deep Throat,” the confidential Watergate source. He also played a key role in expanding Vanity Fair into books, e-books, television, and digital media, launching VanityFair.com.
As an author, Friend has explored cultural and historical themes in books such as Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11 (2006), The Naughty Nineties (2017), and two volumes on human existence, The Meaning of Life and More Reflections on the Meaning of Life. In the realm of documentary film, he is an Emmy- and Peabody-winning producer, with projects including Lakota Nation vs. United States (2023), MLK/FBI (2021), and the widely broadcast CBS prime-time special 9/11.
Beyond journalism and film, Friend has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the Middle East, coedited 13 Vanity Fair books, and curated photography exhibitions on three continents. His poetry has been published in The New Yorker, further highlighting the breadth of his creative work.
As an author, Friend has explored cultural and historical themes in books such as Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11 (2006), The Naughty Nineties (2017), and two volumes on human existence, The Meaning of Life and More Reflections on the Meaning of Life. In the realm of documentary film, he is an Emmy- and Peabody-winning producer, with projects including Lakota Nation vs. United States (2023), MLK/FBI (2021), and the widely broadcast CBS prime-time special 9/11.
Beyond journalism and film, Friend has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the Middle East, coedited 13 Vanity Fair books, and curated photography exhibitions on three continents. His poetry has been published in The New Yorker, further highlighting the breadth of his creative work.
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