Introduction : understanding public drama
News as public drama : the era of the endless news cycle
Making public drama : telling a good story
Framing September 11 : overview of the media and audience's response
Seeking sense amid the shock : the coverage on September 11
The drama is in the details : dramatic amplification at ground zero
A nation's tragedy : cultivating emotionality at ground zero
America's heroes : New York firefighters in the spotlight
To the stars go the spoils : moral currency and the FDNY
September 11 and beyond : public drama in the twenty-first century.