Foote: We instinctively pivoted to breaking news mode. It is what we all do best. CNN was in a commercial break, so our director told Master Control to dump out of the break and come back to the control room. We were back live within seconds. We knew that our co-workers in the room would be calling in as soon as it was safe to do so. The control room team started getting feeds ready to get people on the air, streaming video from their phones. Others called in with voice only. The challenge was very poor cellphone reception since the ballroom is below ground. When Wolf Blitzer was safe, we immediately got him on the phone while a colleague used a second phone to stream his video. This was the best option to avoid the signal breaking up.
When our team on the red carpet evacuated, they left behind their cameras & equipment that was near the shooting; two of the cameras were still transmitting a live signal. We watched law enforcement secure the area. We then prepped for the worst: Were people hurt? Was our team ok? What was next? We started to get presidential pool feeds established, mainly the White House Briefing Room. One of our field teams used a rented bicycle to get close to the hotel’s exterior and establish a live-shot position to capture that angle.
4. How long were you in the control room?
Hall: Four hours of rolling coverage.
Foote: Our day started with pre-production at 3:30 p.m. ET. Once the shooting occurred, we were in the room for 4 hours, commercial-free, until midnight when CNN International took over our coverage.
5. What do you feel is the biggest responsibility during a moment like this?
Hall: The biggest responsibility is to bring viewers a minute-by-minute account while also not jumping to conclusions or getting ahead of reporting. John and Laura did a wonderful and compelling job of staying calm on the air, walking viewers through the scene, and telling them what we know and, more importantly, being transparent about what we don’t know.
Foote: We all feel the responsibility to inform the public when an important news event occurs. Knowing that our coverage was simulcasting on various CNN networks around the world, it was incredibly important to get the information out for all to see. As a technical lead, my role is to help the editorial teams tell the story & confirm the facts in real-time with the various tools at our disposal. Sometimes we need to get creative & use our career experience to get people on the air—this event was no different.
