Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explained why the AP wanted to review the tapes as follows:
“We all understand why some people have strong feelings about the release of these tapes. This was a horrible crime. It’s important to remember, though, that 911 tapes, like other police documents, are public records. Reviewing them is a part of normal newsgathering in a responsible news organization.”
“Everyone knows what happened on that awful day. What we still don’t understand is why it happened. Perhaps we never will. But it’s our job to ask questions and gather facts for stories that seek to understand why.”
Carroll also discussed why AP pursued a legal challenge on the BBC World Service.
Read the AP news story.