Discover the Munich crisis, live broadcast rulings, and the compelling narrative around September 5.
Was optimism shining from the Munich Olympics?
Germany was ready to embrace a future of togetherness and peace as the 1972 Munich Olympics started, thereby shedding its terrible past.
Designed to represent a fresh chapter for the country, these games were scheduled exactly thirty years after the collapse of the Nazi government.
In what way did history veer dark?
That promise of change was violently dashed when the Black September Organization (BSO) insurgent group invaded the Olympic Village.
The gang kidnapped eleven members of the Israeli squad in a terrible deed, therefore altering the scene of world sports and media.
Is such unvarnished sadness something art can portray?
Tim Fehlbaum’s Oscar-nominated suspense film September 5 finds influence in these horrific occurrences.
after the ABC Sports team both during and soon after the crisis, the movie examines the moral conundrums of live violent transmission.
Then-ABC president Roone Arledge (played by Peter Sarsgaard) and his staff were charged with making hard judgments in real time as anarchy descended.
What motivated the attackers? And what was the cost?
Driven by calls for the liberation of about three hundred imprisoned Palestinians, the militants first killed two sportsmen.
Later on, following a failed rescue effort by German officials, the nine hostages still under custody were slain.
Stories told by professionals like David Clay Large from UC Berkeley suggest that the sad series came to an end when police attempts failed, therefore scarring the history of live news.
How could the planet see hopelessness broadcast on television?
At 3:24 a.m., sportscaster Jim McKay sadly said, “They’re all gone,” marking one of the most indelible events as the terrible truth trickled into millions of living rooms all around.
By giving constant, thorough coverage first priority, the ABC Sports team turned this horror into a seminal event in broadcast journalism—an effort that finally resulted in 29 Emmy Awards.
Quick Facts: Munich Olympic Tragedy & September 5
- 1972 Munich Olympics meant to serve as a post- Nazi period peace emblem.
- Black September Organization took over the Olympic Village carrying eleven Israeli team members.
- Under Roone Arledge, ABC Sports showed the situation live.
- Eleven hostages were slain following an abortive rescue effort in the terrible incident.
- September 5 dramatizes these events while underlining the clear ethical issues of live reporting.