David Muir Opens Up About Covering 9/11 as a Young Reporter: “I’ll Never Forget That Morning”

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, David Muir is still carrying memories from the day that changed his life as a journalist.

The ABC World News Tonight anchor recently looked back on his experience covering 9/11, recalling that he was only 27 years old and working as a reporter at ABC’s Boston station when the attacks unfolded.

In a social media video marking the 25th anniversary, Muir remembered receiving an urgent assignment that morning: get to Logan Airport as quickly as possible.

“I can’t believe that 25 years ago, on 9/11, I was a 27-year-old reporter,” he said, describing the call that sent him to the airport.

For Muir, however, the assignment was about far more than following the breaking news. Some of the images and stories he encountered that day have remained with him for decades.

The images Muir says he can never forget

Muir recalled seeing reports from New York showing witnesses and firefighters confronting the horrifying reality unfolding around them.

Among the memories that stayed with him were images of people in New York watching individuals fall from the North Tower. He also remembered a local reporter speaking with a witness who initially believed what she was seeing was debris before realizing that it was people who had jumped from the building.

But one story, in particular, remained deeply personal for Muir.

He recalled the experience of Florence Jones, a survivor who was working on the 77th floor of the South Tower when the first plane struck the North Tower.

Jones told Muir that she could hear and feel the impact and see the flames. From her position, she could also see people trapped above the point of impact in the North Tower.

According to Jones, those people appeared to realize that they had no way out.

What stayed with Muir was not simply what Jones witnessed, but why she chose to keep watching. She believed those people deserved to have someone bear witness to what they were experiencing in their final moments.

That memory, Muir said, remains “seared” into his mind even 25 years later.

Muir’s hope for the 25th anniversary

For nearly 25 years, ABC has followed the journey of 9/11 survivor Florence Jones. Her friend, Jill Maurer-Campbell, perished that day, leaving behind her 10-month-old son Jake. David Muir joined Florence and Jake as they visited the reflecting pools. https://t.co/g0BLB0QTAS https://t.co/JdLbwwP0dH

— ABC News (@ABC) September 12, 2026

Looking back on the tragedy, Muir also focused on what he believes Americans can learn from the years that followed.

He said his hope is shared by many survivors and families who lost loved ones: that people remember how the country came together after 9/11.

At a time when the United States remains deeply divided politically, Muir said he hopes Americans can still remember the sense of unity and solidarity that emerged in the aftermath of the attacks.

His reflections came as ABC News and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum marked the 25th anniversary with a major commemoration. Muir, Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer hosted a live ABC News special from Lower Manhattan, centered around the annual Tribute in Light.

For Muir, the anniversary is therefore not only about remembering where he was on September 11, 2001. It is also about remembering the people whose stories he encountered that day — and the responsibility he still feels to bear witness to them.

His recollections offer a glimpse into what it was like to report on an unfolding national tragedy at just 27 years old, while also showing why some stories remain impossible to leave behind, even a quarter of a century later.