Whose story? New Oscar nominated film September 5 evokes the tension and dilemmas of live crisis reporting

1 month ago 25
ARTICLE AD BOX

How a TV sports crew found itself live screening the 1972 Olympics attack, and wrestling with a cascade of moral and logistical challenges that would change news coverage for ever.

  • In cinemas February 6

In a darkened broadcasting control room, a team of sports journalists covering the 1972 Munich Olympics for ABC television realise to their horror that they have been thrust entirely unprepared into covering a terrifying global news event: a hostage crisis in the Olympic village that would come to be known as the Munich massacre.

The Munich Games were already a broadcasting landmark: the first time people on five continents could watch the Olympics live. But it also became the first time a terrorist attack would unfold live in front of a global television audience in real time, with all the ethical and practical dilemmas that entailed. The journalists’ predicaments and groundbreaking efforts are depicted in September 5, a new film that provides a fresh perspective on the production and consumption of news content.

From left, Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge, Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader and John Magaro as Geoff Mason

Continue reading...
Read Entire Article