Rewards for Reliable Coverage

On April 15, 2013, the lives of many Bostonians were changed forever.  At approximately 2:50pm, two pressure cooker bombs went off about 10 seconds apart near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  264 people were injured in the bombings, and 3 died at the marathon. Four days after the attack, following endless hours of searching and outreach to the public, the Boston police were able to identify the two suspects of this vicious attack as 26-year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and 19-year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, both from Cambridge, Massachusetts, having initially emigrated from Chechnya. The day before, April 18, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology public safety officer was shot and killed by Tamerlan Tsarnaev, making it four individuals whom the brothers had killed since their attack at the Boston Marathon. Following the slaying of the MIT officer, the brothers hijacked a car and sought to escape, but police apprehended Tamerlan. In an effort to help his brother, Dzhokhar ran the vehicle into Tamerlan and the two officers attempting to handcuff him, which ended up resulting in the death of his older sibling.  Medical examiners were able to identify the man killed as Tamerlan and his brother as the two individuals who made and detonated the bombs. Due to the extensive coverage of the attacks, a man in Watertown, which is located a short distance from the heart of Boston, was able to identify Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the bloodied individual hiding under a tarp in his backyard, leading to the his arrest.  Following his arrest, Dzhokhar testified that he and his brother set off the bombs as a political statement against the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were the primary motivations for their attack. 

Chechnya is an area of Russia that was once an economically and politically stable country.  Its economy and infrastructure were reduced to ruins by years of civil war between separatists and Russian forces, combined with armed banditry and organized crime.  Chechnya has been trying to gain independence from Russia for years, and as a result, has become one of the largest regions for terrorism in the world.  Most recently, Chechens were responsible for the terrorist attacks on Sochi in the days leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics.  It is believed that the Tsarnaev brothers’ reasons behind their contempt for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is due to Tamerlan’s newfound obsession with Islamic radicalism, which caused him to misinterpret the call for jihad, leading him to persuade his brother into aiding him in committing the crimes against Boston.  Islam is the dominant religion in Chechnya, though the Tsarnaev brothers warped the religion to favor their radical beliefs and used the teachings of the Quran to favor their behaviors. 
            Today marks the one-year anniversary of the tragedy that struck Boston, though the city became even stronger than ever as a result. The city of Boston rallied to seek retribution for the attack on their beloved hometown.  Many runners continued their trek past the finish line to the Boston hospitals so they could donate blood to the victims of the attack. People in Massachusetts banded together after the attacks and the phrase “Boston Strong” became of the most well known slogans to illustrate the resilience of the city. In addition to the great collaboration and support for one another following the attack, tens of millions of dollars were raised by the One Fund, which was a support effort created by two Emerson students out of their dorm room to provide monetary aid to the bombing victims.

 Yesterday, the Boston Globe was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its extensive coverage of the Boston Bombing. According to the Pulitzer board, the publication won the award due to their exhaustive coverage of the bombings and the manhunt that took over the city.  They empathetically used photography and a social media to capture the full impact of the devastation, as well as aided in the search for the Tsarnaev brothers who detonated the bombs.  Despite initial miscommunications between several major news corporations (including CNN) and government officials which released information that the suspect had been apprehended and arrested, the Globe was able to correctly release the photographs of the Tsarnaev brothers, which led to the assistance of the Boston public in capturing the terrorists. Over the last twelve years, the Boston Globe has won seven Pulitzer Prizes, though this was the paper’s first for breaking news coverage. (Boston Globe Pulitzer Prize)

Boston is without a doubt one of the most resilient and passionate cities in the world.  From a historic standpoint, Boston has almost always been at the forefront for America’s transformation.  The Revolutionary War for independence from Great Britain started in the streets of Boston, with acts such as the Boston Massacre in modern day Faneuil Hall and the Boston Tea Party.  During the Civil War, Boston was one of the most influential northern cities in providing support for the abolitionist movement, particularly with the creation of the New England Anti-Slavery Society and the first African American regiment to fight in the Civil War. From there, Boston has lead the path in many other societal and governmental changes, such as being the birthplace of youngest and first Catholic president- John F. Kennedy- and being the first state to legalize gay marriage. With such a strong and tireless city, it makes sense that those delivering the news would manifest that same passion and dedication that makes Boston the great city it is.