CNN's False 'Arrest Made' in Boston Bombing
■ The claim
On April 17, 2013, CNN reported that a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing had been arrested.
■ What actually happened
CNN's John King reported that a suspect had been identified, and CNN then reported that an arrest had been made. The AP and Fox News aired similar reports. The FBI, the U.S. Attorney's office, and Boston police all said no arrest had been made, and CNN walked the report back that afternoon. King later called the network's mistakes embarrassing. No arrest took place until April 19.
■ The proof
Official statements on April 17 from the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's office, and Boston police said no one was in custody.
■ Original reporting
- CNN: Boston blasts story covering the 'in custody' reportshttps://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/17/us/boston-blasts
- Salon: CNN's Boston embarrassment, how a scoop turns sourhttps://salon.com/2013/04/17/cnns_boston_embarrassment_how_a_scoop_turns_sour
■ Corrections, findings & records
- WTOP: CNN's King says mistakes were 'embarrassing'https://wtop.com/news/2013/04/cnns-king-says-mistakes-last-week-were-embarrassing
- AJC: Media backtracks on marathon suspect reportshttps://www.ajc.com/news/national/media-backtracks-marathon-suspect-reports/XIbwzh0f1znSSzdQaLB4sL/
■ Wayback Machine copies
Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.
- Archive copy: CNN: Boston blasts story covering the 'in custody' reportshttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/17/us/boston-blasts
- Archive copy: Salon: CNN's Boston embarrassment, how a scoop turns sourhttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://salon.com/2013/04/17/cnns_boston_embarrassment_how_a_scoop_turns_sour
■ Grade
RETRACTED: The outlet itself retracted, corrected, or settled. How we grade →