Some sought answers, some sought closure, some sought a story.
About 70 relatives of those aboard United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed Sept. 11 in Pennsylvania gathered at the Princeton Marriott Forrestal hotel to hear a cockpit recording of their loved ones' final moments.
An equal number gathered in the parking lot outside to document the relatives' reactions.
At the side entrance of the hotel, reporters waited for family members to emerge. Sitting in lawnchairs or crouched on the hot tarmac and surrounded by empty water bottles, many speculated that the FBI had convinced the families not to give interviews.
"I would love the families to tell us details," said Jeremy Bitz, a producer for NY1. "If police escort them to their cars, we don't like that. We'll chase after them. Not that that's cool. But we have our job to do, too."
The mere sight of the mass of reporters, camera crew and photographers was enough to make some family members turn back into the hotel. Others requested police escort to their cars.
But some took advantage of the opportunity to ensure their loved ones would be remembered.
"My son was a [public relations] man," said Alice Hoglan, whose son, Mark Bingham, was a passenger. "He taught me to be nice to the press."
Recalling how her son called her from the plane to tell her that he loved her, Hoglan's face beamed.
"I'm very proud of my son and all those on Flight 93," she said. "I'm so pleased that the press has taken so much interest in this."
Standing under the shade of an awning, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Zachary Coile and freelance photographer Jeff Zelevansky discussed the importance of the story.
"Everyone in the country takes this personally," Zelevansky said.
Coile said he had developed a relationship with families of victims from northern California.
"Every time I call, I ask, 'Am I invading your privacy?' " he said. "If they say 'yes,' we don't go any further. But often, the families want to talk to us."
Jere Longman, who was covering the story for The New York Times, said the hardest part of his job as a reporter is speaking to grieving parents.
"It's a huge story because on the day that we lost control, these people tried to take control again," he said. "I think that's really resonated with the public.
"People want to know what happened," he said. "Unfortunately, I think they're not going to get many answers."
He was right.
"It was unintelligible," Tom Burnett said of the tape, giving an interview to a handful of reporters, who had avoided the mass of journalists at the side building, and staked out the front entrance.
Burnett, who lost his son, Tom, in the crash, said the tape brought no closure. Though he respected the FBI's request not to discuss the contents of the tape, he confirmed aspects of the recording that had previously been made public.
"There was yelling, screaming, there was a scuffle," Burnett said. The only thing the tape made clear was that the people on board Flight 93 had acted heroically, he added.
Even in the throng at the side of the hotel, reporters were respectful of the grieving relatives. When police escorted people to their cars, reporters made no move to follow.
Those who made themselves available to the press, facing a battery of more than 20 television cameras, showed composure.
Standing at the center of a scrum, Kenny Nacke held up a photo of his brother, Louis Joey Nacke, for the cameras.
"All I want is for him to be honored and remembered," he said. "Everyone on that plane needs to be honored and remembered forever."
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