The media blamed Islamic terrorists for Oklahoma City before evidence appeared

Evidence

Never was their prejudice and ignorance more in evidence than when in the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing (April 1995) they leaped collectively to the conclusion — led by instant “experts” like Steven Emerson — that Islamic terrorists were to blame, and they repeated their allegations, albeit on a smaller, quieter scale after the TWA Flight 800 disaster in July 1996. — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 160

Categorization

• QUESTION: The Oklahoma City bombing was later proven to be domestic terrorism by Timothy McVeigh — worth checking if the media’s wrong turn shaped later coverage patterns.
• XREF: Connects to the book’s earlier chapters on how instant ‘expertise’ and Orientalist frames preempt evidence — a recurring thread across Covering Islam. — connects to: Newspapers openly advertised a lynching and burning before the suspect was captured — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 90

Related

• The Oklahoma City bombing was immediately blamed on Muslims before evidence emerged (similarity 0.90)
• Mainstream media misattributed the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to Muslims. (similarity 0.82)