The photographer behind an iconic 9/11 picture displays 25 years later

The multimedia journalist behind that image is now a professor in New Jersey.

Thomas E. Franklin was at work that morning when an editor told him a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

Like so many journalists on September 11, 2001, Franklin knew his job was to document what was happening.

Franklin was a photojournalist for The Bergen Record, a newspaper in North Jersey. He tried to get into Manhattan, but the crossings were closed after the second plane hit the towers.

Instead, he went to Jersey City, where he photographed the destruction across the river and people arriving from New York covered in dust.

Later, Franklin talked his way onto a police boat and made it to Ground Zero.

He spent hours photographing the search-and-rescue operations, working to separate what he was feeling from what he was there to do.

“We’ve got to get close,” he said. “We’ve got to record, document, preserve what we see and for future generations, because as we’ve learned, you know, new narratives develop, and they’re not always accurate. But having those photographs or that footage that document it in real time, you know, preserves that history.”

During a temporary pause in the search-and-rescue operation, Franklin saw three firefighters holding an American flag. He raised his camera and captured the moment.

“It was not a performance,” he said. “The firemen didn’t know they were having their picture taken. You know, I can’t speak for them about what they were trying to do or say by raising it. But, you know, the photograph has lived a life of its own, and people have told me that they get a sense of, you know, patriotism or a feeling of strength or unity or resilience by looking at the photo.”

The image went on to be shared around the world, becoming a lasting symbol of the days after the attacks.

But Franklin says when he looks at the photograph, he thinks first about the people who died that day and the people who have died in the 25 years since from health complications related to 9/11.

“It was a very difficult day. It was the most difficult of days in my life or my career, for a variety of reasons,” he said. “One, trying to perform my job while not become an emotional about it and worried about all the people that I knew who worked in the building, including my brother who worked in the neighborhood.”

Today, Franklin is an associate professor and multimedia journalist at Montclair State University in New Jersey, where he continues teaching the importance of journalism and preserving history.

The photograph was later featured on a U.S. postage stamp, which helped raise $10 million for families affected by 9/11.