With the internet now rivaling both television and radio as the choice of many Americans for news, coverage of Tuesday’s attacks on the United States was continuos and instantaneous on various online news sites.

All of the major news websites were easily accessible considering the huge demand on their servers as Americans clamored for news on the day’s events. If people found themselves away from a television Tuesday, internet news sites offered description and analysis of the day’s events in a timely fashion, and perhaps a more convenient fashion than was offered on television.

ABCnews.com, MSNBC.com and various other websites connected to the broadcast networks offered live streaming video and audio of their television broadcasts in addition to up-to-the-minute news stories and analysis. MSNBC.com offered chilling photos of Palestinians celebrating the attacks on the United States at the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, as well as early speculation that Arab terrorists were behind the attacks. MSNBC.com also reported that an anonymous caller told an Abu Dhabi television station earlier on Tuesday that a radical Palestinian group was responsible for the attacks, but the group later denied any involvement.

Yahoo.com was another timely and complete source for the day’s news offering a collection of stories from sources ranging from Reuters and the AP.

In addition to offering much of the same news, most online news sites resorted to many of the same sensationalistic headlines. Foxnews.com, MSNBC.com and others featured flashy headlines that read “America Under Attack” or “Terrorism Hits America.” Most of the sites offered video of the of the second plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, along with other videos of the day’s terror.

Closer to home, all UMass Students with a University email account were notified via email at 1:00 p.m. by Chancellor Rosio Alvarez that the remainder of the day’s classes were cancelled. Students were also notified of a vigil, and other campus events that were being planned due to the day’s events.