New York Post falsely fingers 17-year-old high school student in Boston Marathon bombing

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Thursday April 18, 2013 · 11:52 AM PDT

2013/04/18 · 11:52

Move over, CNN—The New York Post wants to reclaim its spot as the most unreliable source of information in America. Actually, that's not even fair to CNN, because at least when CNN screwed up, they could blame bad sources. When The Post printed this cover, it was just making stuff up:

New York Post fingers 17 year old kid as bombing suspect

In the article attached to the story, The Post admitted it had no idea whether the cover was accurate:

It was not immediately clear if the men in the law-enforcement photos are the same men in the surveillance videos.

But even though they had no idea their front page was accurate, The Post decided to run with it anyway. I guess they figured the photo told a great story, whether or not there was any evidence connecting it with the bombing. Two guys with bags, one of whom looks like he might even be of Middle Eastern ancestry? Print it! It would be irresponsible not to!

Of course, the real story isn't what The Post was hoping:

Salah Barhoun, 17, said he went to the police yesterday to clear his name after he found himself tagged in pictures online. He had just gone to watch the race, he said, but soon after the explosions, he was singled out by internet sleuths as looking suspicious. Federal authorities passed around images of Barhoun, attempting to learn more information about him, sources told ABC News.
Today The New York Post ran a story featuring a picture of Barhoun circled in red, but said it was unclear if the two men were the same as two potential suspects spotted by law enforcement Wednesday.

The Post now reports Barhoun and his friend have been cleared. But that's no excuse for the cover they printed.

12:35 PM PT: Another quote from Barhoun:

"It's the worst feeling that I can possibly feel… I'm only 17."

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New York Post falsely fingers 17-year-old high school student in Boston Marathon bombing

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