Rumors and Misinformation in the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing
Posted by mattusmaximus on April 17, 2013
As you well know by now, there was a horrific bombing of the Boston Marathon yesterday on Boston’s Patriot Day. Like many people, I spent much time last night discussing the situation online. And, of course, in the aftermath of such an emotionally charged and upsetting situation, rumors, speculation, and – sadly – conspiracy mongering will run rampant. However, I am of the feeling that knowledge is power, and it is better to say “I don’t know” than to speculate wildly; after all, as I told someone online last night: “rumors =/= knowledge”
So, in the spirit of spreading accurate information and squashing rumors, misinformation, and conspiracy mongering regarding the Boston Marathon Bombing, I would like to refer the reader to this collection of rumors and junk debunked from our friends at Snopes.com:
Please take a few minutes to check that link, and by all means spread it far and wide over the Internet and via social media, because we do ourselves no favors by giving into our fears and allowing them to make us act irrationally.
The Skeptical Teacher 
CNN Taken to Task Over Its NON-Critical Thinking on the Boston Bombing « The Skeptical Teacher said
[…] Rumors and Misinformation in the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing […]
Logan said
I’m currently studying to become a secondary level English teacher, and I was wondering what your opinion is when it comes to bringing up issues like this in the classroom. Have you done it yourself, and if so, what have you done to talk about these issues?
mattusmaximus said
Yes, I have before. But it depends upon the context, your students, and your community. Sorry to be so vague, but there you go.