By Richard Lee

“Rush to Judgement” is the title of a book attorney Mark Lane authored, questioning the conclusions of the Warren Commission’s investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

The words “rush to judgment” also are an accurate description of events that occurred Wednesday on the 60th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. 

As has now been widely reported, a car crashed and exploded at the U.S.-Canada border crossing on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, killing its two occupants.

Given the world we live in today, when a car explodes at a border crossing at the start of a holiday weekend, the immediate reaction is to suspect terrorism. The precautions put into place by law enforcement and other government agencies were the right steps to take. 

What was not right was the “rush to judgment” to label the incident as terrorism — and to then react to that incorrect characterization. 

Most news organizations reported the incident the way a developing story should be reported, providing the basic facts of what was known and confirmed. 

But one news organization reported that “high level police sources” said the crash was “an attempted terrorist attack” and that the car was full of explosives.

The report turned out to be inaccurate because, as investigators learned more about the explosion, it became clear that terrorism was not involved. 

“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the FBI said in a statement. “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.” 

A mistake in any news report is troublesome. A mistake of this magnitude is dangerous. 

And the reactions from elected officials who took the report as fact were irresponsible. Without waiting for updates and briefings from the agencies most closely involved with responding to the incident, many elected officials “rushed to judgment” and shared social media posts and statements saying a terror attack had occurred. They cast blame, stoked fear and spread conspiracy theories. 

Rushing to judgment can be tempting, especially in today’s 24/7 environment. A cardinal rule of journalism provides good advice — for journalists, for elected officials and for all of us: “Get it first, but first, get it right.” 

Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, is a professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University. He covered politics and government as a reporter and later served as Deputy Director of Communication for two New Jersey governors.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Media, Politics, Richard Lee