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Politics931 outlets ran this3 min read

Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

Museum displays rare artifacts, including items from Flight 93 and World Trade Center, as director addresses political scrutiny.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
A badly damaged flag recovered from the World Trade Center debris is displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, the nation's official repository for September 11 materials, in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

What this story says

  • The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a special exhibit.
  • Artifacts on display include items from United Airlines Flight 93 and the World Trade Center, presented on tables due to their fragility.
  • Museum director Anthea Hartig stated that political scrutiny from President Trump and Republicans did not influence the exhibit's creation.
  • Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has announced plans to step down from his position.

Who covered it

Left 31%(185)Centre 50%(216)Right 19%(109)

Percentages are shares of the 510 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 421 of the 931 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

15/100

931 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 109 of the 510 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks with an exhibit of rare artifacts. Items on display include seat belts and a call button from United Airlines Flight 93, a purse from the World Trade Center site, and a telephone from Ted Olson's desk. Some objects, such as a beeper from the South Tower and a candy dispenser from the Pentagon, are also featured. The exhibit is presented on tables, rather than behind glass, as some items are too fragile for future display, according to museum director Anthea Hartig. The exhibit runs through Saturday.

The museum has faced scrutiny from President Trump and Republicans regarding its presentation of American history. Hartig stated that this scrutiny did not influence the September 11 exhibit and that the museum documents various political moments. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has announced plans to step down. Hartig acknowledged that leadership transitions are complicated but expressed confidence in Americans' ability to embrace their past.

Coverage comparison

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention that museum director Anthea Hartig stated some items are too fragile for future display. None of the centre-rated digests mention that museum director Anthea Hartig stated some items are too fragile for future display. None of the right-rated digests mention that museum director Anthea Hartig stated some items are too fragile for future display.

Tags:#September11#Smithsonian#MuseumExhibit#AmericanHistory#Artifacts

Coverage settled. We checked this 48 times and stopped on 16 Sept 2026, 16:45. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

185 rated outlets

  • The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a special exhibit. The Enid News & Eagle, The Seattle Times, The Toronto Star, The Independent, Associated Press News, Bangor Daily News, The Independent (US), NBC Washington, The Hamilton Spectator, The Record, St Catharines Standard, and Durango Herald all reported on this.
  • These reports noted the display includes rarely seen items from the day. Among the artifacts mentioned were seat belts and a flight attendant call button from United Airlines Flight 93, a purse with keys and a wallet from the World Trade Center site, and a telephone from U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson’s desk.

Centre

216 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports focused on the Smithsonian's exhibit marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. These reports detailed the artifacts on display, including items from United Airlines Flight 93 and the World Trade Center. Several centre-rated reports included comments from museum director Anthea Hartig, who stated that political scrutiny did not influence the exhibit and that the museum documents various political moments. The announcement of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch's plans to step down was also noted in these reports.

Right

109 rated outlets

  • The single right-rated report mentioned that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a display of rare artifacts. It listed items such as seat belts and a flight attendant call button from United Airlines Flight 93, and a purse recovered from the World Trade Center site.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks?
Of the 510 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 31% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 19% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 931. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 510 rated outlets on this story, 31% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 19% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks biased?
Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks is one event reported by 931 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Smithsonian Exhibit Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks?
931 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the Smithsonian National Museum of American History commemorating?
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a special exhibit. The display features rarely seen items from that day.
What kind of artifacts are on display?
Artifacts on display include seat belts and a call button from United Airlines Flight 93, a purse from the World Trade Center site, and a telephone from Ted Olson's desk. Some items are too fragile for future display and are presented on tables.
Has the museum faced political scrutiny?
Yes, the museum has faced scrutiny from President Trump and Republicans regarding its presentation of American history. Museum director Anthea Hartig stated this scrutiny did not influence the September 11 exhibit.
What is happening with the Smithsonian's leadership?
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has announced plans to step down. Museum director Anthea Hartig acknowledged that leadership transitions are complicated but expressed confidence in the public's ability to engage with the nation's past.

Read it at the source

931 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

185
Show 177 more

Centre

216
Show 208 more

Right

109
Show 101 more

Not rated

421
Show 413 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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Smithsonian 9/11 Exhibit | MediaBias News