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Viewpoints: Media coverage of bombing is making an awful story worse
By Peter Dykstra
Special to The Bee
Published: Thursday, Apr. 18, 2013 - 5:29 pm
Last Modified: Monday, Apr. 22, 2013 - 6:41 am

After a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing, the torrent of news coverage often gives us a little extra reason to cringe. While it's too early to know whether that terrible act of terror will be followed by a daily drumbeat of terrible journalism, there are reasons to worry. There also are some past examples of crimes against journalism that are well worth remembering.

In the days before we knew that the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was the work of homegrown terrorism, there was a drumbeat of speculation that Islamic radicals were the culprits. Newsroom pulses raced when a Jordanian national was detained, then released. Steven Emerson, a commentator for both CNN and CBS, took it further, speculating without evidence that the bombing "had Middle Eastern traits." Wrong. In an era when Americans can be rash in judging the entire Islamic world, Emerson and others did a lot of harm....................>>>>.....................>>>>.......Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/18/5354201/viewpoints-media-coverage-of-bombing.html#storylink=cpy