In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, many news outlets badly misrepresented the state of law enforcement efforts. In many cases, these errors were based on assumptions that the perpetrators were dark-skinned or Middle Eastern.
CNN’s John King incorrectly said on the air that authorities were pursuing a “dark-skinned male.” And the New York Post claimed that a “Saudi male” was in custody.
Once the suspects’ identity became known—and that they were white and Muslim—many in the media still searched for the Islam or radical Islam connection. This speculation ranged from explorations of the suspects’ Chechen background to more insidious, outright assertions about Islam being a violent religion.
Politicians such as Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) tied the attacks to immigration reform and called for heightened scrutiny of immigrants from Muslim-majority nations. A provision was sucessfully added in the Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill that requires extra scrutiny of applicants for legal status from Muslim-majority countries.
After the bombing and the “dark-skinned” reports, hate crimes were reported across the Boston area, including an attack on Heba Abolaban as she was walking her baby in a stroller in Malden, Massachusetts.
