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The explosion of two bombs Monday
afternoon at the Boston Marathon has been accompanied by a rush to
judgment by the media, in which claims of a broad new terror
attack are being made without any factual substantiation.
The bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon in the
heart of the city's downtown area. According to media reports, at
least three people were killed and 144 wounded, including 15 with
critical injuries. Witnesses on the scene and at hospitals have
reported that the injuries include amputated lower limbs.
The explosions took place within about 20 seconds of one another
and 50-100 yards apart, while thousands of marathoners were still
running and many thousands of spectators were lined up along the
route. The blasts shattered storefront windows, sending shards of
glass and other debris into the crowd.
No individual or organization has as yet claimed responsibility
for this brutal and criminal act.
Copley Square was evacuated and will reportedly remain closed off
for 24 hours. Parts of the city's public transit system were shut
down and aircraft grounded for several hours at Logan
International Airport, but service resumed in the early evening.
The federal government increased security around the White House,
and New York City announced it had elevated its security
operations.
In a press conference several hours after the blasts, Boston
Police Commissioner Edward Davis said there was a third explosion
several miles away at the John F. Kennedy Library, which
authorities were treating as related to the bombings at the
marathon. However, officials subsequently said the incident at the
JFK Library was "fire-related" and not connected to the marathon
bombings.
There were also multiple press reports of a third bomb
deliberately detonated by authorities following the initial
blasts, and the Associated Press cited an unnamed intelligence
official as saying at least one other device was found in the area
of the race.
In the absence of clear facts or forensic evidence, many of the
statements made by the media amounted to pure speculation, aimed
at promoting an unstated political agenda and encouraging a mood
of panic. Many assertions contradicted one another. For example,
some commentators claimed the explosive devices were small and
primitive, while others said they were sophisticated and indicated
the work of a terrorist organization.
Some media outlets in particular seemed bent on steering the
public toward the view that the Boston events were a terror attack
along the lines of 9/11. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer directed the network’s
reportage along these lines, encouraging his “expert” commentators
to make wide-ranging claims within minutes of the explosions and
while the mayhem on the streets of Boston was still unfolding.
Jane Harman, the former Democratic chair of the House Intelligence
Committee, appearing as a CNN commentator, claimed the bombings
pointed in the direction of Al Qaeda.
The Murdoch press’ New York Post ran a banner headline, “Clearly
an Act of Terror,” and featured a second article headlined
“Authorities ID suspect as Saudi national in marathon bombings,
under guard at Boston hospital.”
NBC Evening News featured as its terrorism expert Michael Leitner,
former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center under
both the Bush and Obama administrations. Without any factual
substantiation, Leitner declared that the bombings were the act of
a “terrorist organization.”
However, President Obama, in a brief statement from the White
House delivered at about 6 PM, pointedly refrained from labeling
the incident as an act of terror. He said the “full resources of
the federal government” and the “full weight of justice” would be
deployed against those responsible, while admitting that the
government did not know “who did this or why.”
There appeared to be an element of confusion or conflict within
the state over the response to the bombings. The media widely
reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had declared the
bombings to be a terrorist act. And only minutes after Obama’s
White House statement, a “senior administration official” told Fox
News, “When multiple devices go off, that’s an act of terrorism.”
It is necessary to treat all of the initial reports by the media
with extreme skepticism. Whether the Boston bombing was a terror
attack by Al Qaeda or by a home-grown right-wing organization, or
an act carried out with state involvement, remains unknown.
In maintaining a critical attitude and avoiding falling prey to
media manipulation, it is useful to recall the role of the media
in previous cases of alleged terrorist attacks. In the anthrax
incidents that occurred shortly after 9/11, for example, the media
made sweeping claims of Al Qaeda and Islamist involvement, none of
which proved to be true.
The above article
first appeared on WSWS.org.
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