Revision as of 21:35, 1 March 2013 editAnomieBOT (talk | contribs)Bots6,589,334 edits Rescuing orphaned refs ("OfficialSite" from rev 541580062)← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:47, 1 March 2013 edit undoCrtew (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users18,823 edits replacement for deleted textNext edit → | ||
Line 84: | Line 84: | ||
===On September 11, 2001=== | ===On September 11, 2001=== | ||
]'s South Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 77.]]Bill Biggart's loft in Lower Manhattan was not far from the World Trade Center. A "news junkie", according to those who were close to him,<ref name=friend /> he rushed to the towers upon hearing about planes. Biggart was present for the first collapse and managed to remain safe. Another photographer, Bolivar Arellano from the New York Post, observed that Biggart was photographing the second fallen tower before it fell and that Biggart was closer than any other photographer. In a phone call between Biggart and his wife, Biggart indicated to her that he would not remain long and he was with fire fighters and safe. He continued to take photographs until his death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Friend|first=David|title=Watching the world change: The stories behind the images of 9/11|year=2007|publisher=IB Tauris|location=New York|page=17-20|url=http://books.google.de/books?id=0ZeW0Hs7dOgC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=Biggart+%22Impact+Visuals%22&source=bl&ots=71J3Bgo4Tu&sig=mqKon6Jq11GZddAu4s9vLjNtz4w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tOwvUb2sCY-o0AWbuYCwAg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=Biggart%20%22Impact%20Visuals%22&f=false}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | Bill Biggart took his last photo at 10:28:24 am EST,<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=straitstimes>{{cite news|first=Nilanjana |last=Sengupta |title=Snapshots of a disaster |newspaper=]|date=2011-09-10}}</ref><ref name=GUP/> about twenty minutes after his phone call with his wife.<ref name=Newsweek /> At 10:28 am, the North Tower collapsed.<ref name="WPCollapse">{{Cite news|first=Bill |last=Miller |title=Report Assesses Trade Center's Collapse |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A11614-2002Apr30?language=printer|newspaper=]|date=May 1, 2002}}</ref> The falling debris from the tower killed Biggart.<ref name=DallasNews/> His last photograph was presented as a highlight of the 2002 exhibit at the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=2002 Exhibition Highlights |publisher=]|url=http://amhistory.si.edu/september11/exhibition/|accessdate=2013-03-01}}</ref> In the days following the tower's collapse, Biggart reported among the missing, and his wife searched for him at news agencies and in the hospitals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jennifer |last=Lin |title=As hopes fade, aching sorrow sets in; Passersby memorialize the fallen on the hulk of a charred fire truck |newspaper=]|date=2001-09-14|url=http://articles.philly.com/2001-09-14/news/25312673_1_fire-truck-body-bags-morgue/2}}</ref> Four days later his body and his camera equipment was recovered under the debris.<ref name="cbsnews"/> | ||
Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images.<ref name=straitstimes/> Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=irish/><ref name=nytsmithsonian/> | Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images.<ref name=straitstimes/> Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=irish/><ref name=nytsmithsonian/> | ||
Line 102: | Line 104: | ||
==Memorials== | ==Memorials== | ||
*His name was added to the The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dorothy |last=Ho |title=Newseum Honors Bill Biggart, Who Died Covering WTC Attack|publisher=Film Journal|date=2001-10-10|url=http://www.filmjournal.com/pdn/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1991209}}</ref> | *His name was added to the The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dorothy |last=Ho |title=Newseum Honors Bill Biggart, Who Died Covering WTC Attack|publisher=Film Journal|date=2001-10-10|url=http://www.filmjournal.com/pdn/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1991209}}</ref> | ||
*At the ], Biggart is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.<ref>. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.</ref> |
*At the ], Biggart is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.<ref>. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.</ref> | ||
==Creative works== | ==Creative works== |
Revision as of 21:47, 1 March 2013
William G. Biggart | |
---|---|
Born | (1947-07-20) July 20, 1947 (age 77) Berlin, Germany |
Died | September 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 54) |
Cause of death | terrorism; fallen debris |
Body discovered | September 15, 2001 |
Resting place | 40°42′42.1″N 74°0′49.0″W / 40.711694°N 74.013611°W / 40.711694; -74.013611 |
Monuments | World Trade Center site (New York City), Panel S-66 National September 11 Memorial |
Years active | since 1985 |
Employer(s) | Impact Visuals, agency |
Spouse | Wendy Doremus |
Children | William Biggart Jr (first marriage) and Kate and Peter Biggart (second marriage) |
Website | www |
William G. Biggart (July 20, 1947 – September 11, 2001) was an American freelance photojournalist and a victim of the September 11 attacks, notable for his street-view photographs of the event before being killed by the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower and for being the only professional, working journalist to be killed in the attacks.
On 15 September 2001, his remains were discovered along with a bag containing his three cameras and the CompactFlash card from which his last photographs were recovered. The photos were used in the 15 October 2001 issue of Newsweek. His photographs from 9/11 were exhibited at the International Center of Photography and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. They have also been preserved on the Internet by The Digital Journalist.
Personal life
As a child of an American officer stationed in Germany, Bill Biggart was born in Berlin in 1947. As an adult, he moved into a loft in Lower Manhattan, New York City, about the same time that the WTC was opening in the 1970s.
Biggart was married twice and had three children. He had one son from his first marriage. Biggart's second wife was Wendy Doremus and they had two children.
Career
Biggart began his career as a commercial photographer. While a commercial photographer, he began to pursue his interest in spot news photography and was at Wounded Knee to photograph the 1973 event. As a commercial photographer, he would sometimes taking jobs for theater productions. With a passion for news, he transitioned to photojournalism in 1985. His photojournalism credits are found in the international stories he covered in the West Bank and Israel in 1988, Northern Ireland, and the first gulf war. He was also frequently credited for photographs that captured news events closer to his home in New York City, such as a NYC subway shot of "subway vigilante" Bernhard Goetz, Howard Beach, or the 1989 funeral of Yusuf Hawkins. He was also present in Berlin to photograph the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
Biggart began working for the Impact Visuals photo news agency in 1988 and he continued to work there until he was killed. He also worked as a freelance photographer for Reuters, Agence France Press, and Sipa Press. His work appeared in the The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Village Voice and The City Sun.
On September 11, 2001
Bill Biggart's loft in Lower Manhattan was not far from the World Trade Center. A "news junkie", according to those who were close to him, he rushed to the towers upon hearing about planes. Biggart was present for the first collapse and managed to remain safe. Another photographer, Bolivar Arellano from the New York Post, observed that Biggart was photographing the second fallen tower before it fell and that Biggart was closer than any other photographer. In a phone call between Biggart and his wife, Biggart indicated to her that he would not remain long and he was with fire fighters and safe. He continued to take photographs until his death.
Bill Biggart took his last photo at 10:28:24 am EST, about twenty minutes after his phone call with his wife. At 10:28 am, the North Tower collapsed. The falling debris from the tower killed Biggart. His last photograph was presented as a highlight of the 2002 exhibit at the National Museum of American History. In the days following the tower's collapse, Biggart reported among the missing, and his wife searched for him at news agencies and in the hospitals. Four days later his body and his camera equipment was recovered under the debris.
Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images. Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.
Context
The international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders reported that 31 journalists were killed while reporting in 2001. According to the International Federation of Journalists, which counts both journalists and media workers, 100 workers were killed around the world in 2001 and eight died in the United States as a result of the September 11 attacks. The IFJ noted that in addition to Bill Biggart, six broadcast engineers, who are counted as media workers, died inside Tower One where they worked. The IJF reported that another freelance professional photojournalist was killed as a passenger on the American Airlines flight that was the first airplane flown into the WTC.
Other journalists and media workers killed on 9/11
- Rod Coppola, TV engineer for WNET-TV, WTC (North Tower)
- Donald DiFranco, TV engineer for WABC-TV, WTC (North Tower)
- Steve Jacobson, TV engineer for WPIX-TV, WTC (North Tower)
- Bob Pattison, TV engineer for WCBS-TV, WTC (North Tower)
- Thomas Pecorelli, professional freelance photojournalist, American Airlines Flight 11 passenger
- Isias Rivera, TV engineer for WCBS-TV, WTC (North Tower)
- William Steckman, TV engineer for WNBC-TV
Memorials
- His name was added to the The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in 2001.
- At the National 9/11 Memorial, Biggart is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.
Creative works
- Ireland: A Week in the Life of A Nation (1986 U.K.)
- Running Towards Danger: Stories Behind the Breaking News of 9/11 (2002, Newseum)
Exhibits
- Aftermath: Reflections on The Anniversary of September 11, Bill Biggart: Final Exposures, International Center of Photography, New York City, 2002.
- Bearing Witness to History, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., 2002.
- Bill Biggart's cameras from 9/11 are on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., April 11, 2008.
See also
References
- ^ Adler, Jerry (2001-10-15). "Shooting To the End". Newsweek.
- ^ O'Clery, Conor (2001-12-22). "The parting shot". The Irish Times.
- ^ Hay, Carol; McKitterick, Tom (2001-09-09). "Remembering a friend". Toronto Star.
- ^ DeLuca, Louis (2012-09-11). "See the final photos by Bill Biggart, eyewitness to 9/11, killed in the attack"". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ "Bill Biggart: Final Exposures". CBS News. 2002-09-06.
{{cite news}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help); Missing pipe in:|first=
(help) - ^ "At Pakistan/Afghanistan Border; Journalist Among Dead and Media Workers Missing". IFEX.org. 2001-09-25.
- ^ Sengupta, Nilanjana (2011-09-10). "Snapshots of a disaster". The Straits Times.
- ^ McGee, Celia (2002-09-08). "Capturing History: Photo exhibits show the way the terrorist attacks and their aftermath was documented". New York Daily News.
- ^ "Smithsonian Is Planning 9/11 Exhibit". The New York Times. 2002-08-03.
- "Bill Biggart's Final Exposures". The Digital Journalist. January 2011.
- ^ "Parties, Love Notes and Other Small Memories That Now Loom Large". The New York Times. 2001-09-18.
- ^ Van der Lingen, Suzanne. "Bill Biggart: 9/11". GUP magazine.
- ^ "About Bill". Bill Biggart, Photographer, 1947-2001. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
- Gussow, Mel (1982-11-30). "Stage: 'Mens Room'". The New York Times.
- Moffett III, George D.; Temko, Ned (1988-04-21). "Crisis of leadership besets troubled Israel". Christian Science Monitor.
- Temko, Ned (1988-04-28). "Palestinian-Israeli war shifts to verbal front, but still at stalemate". Christian Science Monitor.
- Irwin, Victoria (1987-06-18). "New Yorkers have much to ponder after Goetz trial". Christian Science Monitor.
- Roberts, Sam (1989-09-03). "Once Again, Racism Proves to Be Fatal In New York City". The New York Times. p. Section 4; Page 6, Column 1.
{{cite news}}
:|section=
ignored (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - "Bill Biggart killed at World Trade Centre". Editorial Photographyers United Kingdom and Ireland. 2001-09-18.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - Friend, David (2007). Watching the world change: The stories behind the images of 9/11. New York: IB Tauris. p. 17-20.
- Miller, Bill (May 1, 2002). "Report Assesses Trade Center's Collapse". The Washington Post.
- "2002 Exhibition Highlights". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- Lin, Jennifer (2001-09-14). "As hopes fade, aching sorrow sets in; Passersby memorialize the fallen on the hulk of a charred fire truck". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- "War on terror takes toll on press freedom". IOL News. 2002-05-02. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ^ "100 Journalists Killed In 2001". CBS News. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
- Ho, Dorothy (2001-10-10). "Newseum Honors Bill Biggart, Who Died Covering WTC Attack". Film Journal.
- William G. Biggart. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- Dietsch, Deborah K. (2008-04-05). "Newseum completes avenue revitalization". The Washington Times.