It’s a powerful story, but fictional. Imaginary heroes, concocted by a sloppy press corps, not quite overnight, but largely over the course of an afternoon. Most of the narrative was established by 8 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, Tuesday April 20, 1999. The fictional avengers were fully realized by Friday. I spent the next decade lamenting how we had botched it for the public. Let me repeat the apology you’ll find in the Author’s Note for my role. We have one job as journalists, to tell the truth—after uncovering the truth—and we blew it.
