My adult son and I were watching TV and saw that clip. Once. They also interviewed eyewitnesses........once.There were huge groups of people milling around in shock. Local NY news teams were on the ground quickly but suddenly the story changed. Because of the coverage I saw right after the incident, I have always been convinced Flight 800 was shot down.
My daughter and I were home in less than 10 minutes from the first announcement. We, too, saw that clip, and the folks in shock.
At that time, too, there were (?) hopes for survivors. I remember a lot of shots of stuff in the water, and many, many people on the beach.