Boston Bombings Reveal Media Full Of Mistakes, False Reports (VIDEO)

WATCH: Media Gets Boston Bombing So Wrong

When two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon last week, a media frenzy ensued to break each and every detail. But in the rush to uncover new information, the media got it wrong ... repeatedly.

Whether the coverage was on television, in print or online, facts were misreported, suspects were misidentified, and presumptions were made about unknown motives. The Huffington Post slipped up -- grappling, like many other outlets, with the sheer volume of information that was posted online and shared through social media within seconds. But cable news seemed to be the most error-prone sector, to the point that cable reporting became a story in its own right.

The media's tendency to speculate without facts even prompted a warning from President Barack Obama late Friday night.

"In this age of instant reporting and tweets and blogs, there's a temptation to latch on to any bit of information, sometimes to jump to conclusions," Obama said in a statement after 19-year-old suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured. "But when a tragedy like this happens … it's important that we do this right."

In short, it was not a banner week for the media.

HuffPost has compiled a mash-up of some of the weaker moments. Watch the video above.

Video edited by Oliver Noble.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot