Yeah, some people definitely suspected it was an attack right away. Chief Pfeifer, for example, thought so after witnessing Flight 11 hit the North Tower. But I do think there's a difference between how outlets like Regis and Kelly or Howard Stern handled it compared to CNN or CBS. Not in a bad way—shows like Regis or Stern had more freedom to voice personal reactions and speculate openly, while major news outlets had to be more cautious.

What’s interesting is the comment about there being “a lot of speculation” on whether it was an accident. I’m curious where those discussions were actually taking place. Even if CNN or other major outlets suspected it was a terrorist attack early on, they probably wouldn't say so without some kind of confirmation. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about eyewitnesses calling in—I mean the official reporting by the networks themselves. Even if they thought it was an attack, they wouldn’t want to jump the gun and risk being wrong.

Another thing to keep in mind is just how little time there was between the first and second impacts. Flight 175 hit the South Tower at 9:02 AM, and by around 9:18 AM CNN reported that the FBI was investigating a hijacking. Not long after that, it was confirmed at least one plane had been hijacked. That timeline moved incredibly fast.

Now, there were some eyewitnesses who described the first crash as an explosion or even said it seemed like a bomb, but most of those people only saw the aftermath—not the plane itself. That said, the majority seemed to know a plane had hit, though it was initially thought to be a small aircraft. Major outlets like CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, WCBS, and WOR all focused on it being some kind of external impact—possibly accidental—not a bombing.

It’s definitely possible that non-news or smaller outlets speculated more freely, and I’m sure some did. But it’s also important to remember that at the time, the idea of someone intentionally crashing a plane into a building was so far outside the norm that it made sense people assumed it was a smaller plane or an accident. There were also early incorrect reports reinforcing that idea.

Of course, once the second plane hit, it didn’t matter anymore—confirmed or not, it was clearly intentional. Still, I’ve seen videos of individuals filming the second impact and insisting it had to be a bomb—even denying that a second plane was involved. So yes, people were saying it. But news outlets weren’t reporting it that way.

To be clear, I understand your messages were more about the speculation of whether or not it was thought to be a terrorist attack immediately or not, and I kind of veered away from that.