A Day That Changed Sports and Its Story in The New York Times

"9 Israelis on Olympic Team Killed With 4 Arab Captors As Police Fight Band That Disrupted Munich Games," screamed the headline of the front page of The New York Times. The attack occurred during the wee hours of September 5, 1972, but news of the crisis, although widespread on television sets across the world, would not reach The New York Times until September 6. When it did reach the papers, it was clear that something had gone wrong. Very wrong. The New York Times first reported this event as a mind-boggling screw-up, and in the days that followed, reported on the manner in which the international community retaliated. In other words, news coverage shifted from the pointing of fingers to an eventual call for arms.

The Blame Game

The media perpetrated the first mistake that...