Hollywood's Ethical Blind Spot: The Unconsented Use of a 9/11 Hero's Final Words in Zero Dark Thirty

Kathryn Bigelow’s 2012 film Zero Dark Thirty was a critical and commercial success, lauded for its intense, journalistic approach to the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. The film opens not with an image, but with a sound: a black screen filled with the chaotic and terrifying audio of 9/11. Prominently featured is the voice of Betty Ong, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to strike the World Trade Center. Her calm, professional reporting in the face of unimaginable horror provided the world its first real-time details of the hijackings. But for her family, hearing her final moments used in a blockbuster film without their consent was a profound shock and a deep betrayal.

A Hero's Final Call

Betty Ong is rightfully remembered as a hero of 9/11. During the hijacking of Flight 11, she managed to make a call to an American Airlines ground crew that lasted approximately 25 minutes. In this call, she relayed vital information about the chaos in the cabin, the seat numbers of the hijackers, and the fact that the crew could not access the cockpit. Her composure and detailed reporting were crucial pieces of evidence for the 9/11 Commission. Her voice is not just a historical artifact; it is the last record of a daughter and sister's bravery.

A Family's Pain Rediscovered

The Ong family was never contacted by the filmmakers. They discovered the use of Betty's voice when they went to see the movie themselves. Betty’s brother, Harry Ong, Jr., expressed the family's pain and frustration publicly, feeling that a deeply personal and traumatic moment had been commercialized for entertainment. The family felt the filmmakers had exploited their tragedy for dramatic effect, reducing a loved one's final, desperate moments to a soundbite.

The gross insensitivity to use my sister’s last words as a voice-over ... was a product of the soulless, crass and gutless aspect of Hollywood. The producers and directors of ‘ZDT’ are pathetic from a moral and ethical standard. How would they feel if it was their loved one’s last words on the screen? To me it’s a disgrace.

The Line Between Public Record and Private Grief

The filmmakers, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal, defended their choice. The audio of Betty Ong's call was part of the public record, having been released in the 9/11 Commission Report. Legally, they were likely on solid ground under the principle of fair use. Their argument was one of authenticity—that using real audio from the event was essential to grounding the film in the reality of the tragedy that initiated the hunt for bin Laden.

However, this incident ignited a fierce debate that transcends legal arguments. While the audio may be in the public domain, is it ethically sound to use a person's last words without consulting their surviving family? Does the pursuit of artistic authenticity override basic human decency and respect for the victims of a national trauma? For the Ong family and many others, the answer was a clear and resounding no. The choice to use Betty’s voice highlighted a critical disconnect between a filmmaker's artistic vision and the enduring pain of those who lived through the tragedy.

An Enduring Question

The controversy surrounding Zero Dark Thirty serves as a powerful case study in the ethics of docudrama. It forces us to ask difficult questions about how we tell stories rooted in real-world suffering. While the film may have accurately depicted the hunt for a terrorist, its opening moments inadvertently inflicted new pain on a family that had already lost everything, reminding us that behind every public record is a private, human story that deserves to be handled with care.

Sources

• The Hollywood Reporter: Family of 9/11 Victim Betty Ong Slams 'Zero Dark Thirty'
• The New York Times: A 9/11 Victim’s Voice, and a Family’s Anger
• Wikipedia: Zero Dark Thirty