The major news outlets broke into regular programming
shortly after the explosions, which hit at about 2:45 p.m. ET, four hours after
the start of the race. Variety reports the networks summoned top anchors and
other resources to go wall-to-wall with coverage of the chaotic scene, some of
which included graphic pictures of marathon runners and bystanders with serious
injuries. By early evening, NBC had tabled its skedded 10 p.m. airing of drama
“Revolution” for a news special on the bomb blasts.
Within minutes of the explosions, Twitter was flooded with
graphic images and Vine videos from the scene, with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer
noting that the Boston Police Department sought “every possible photo” from the
public in order to aid the investigation. News nets were forced to contend with
speculation that ran rampant on Twitter regarding the nature of a fire at the
JFK Library, and the death toll, which the New York Post labeled as “10” before
law enforcement had even confirmed two.
The jolt of the attack was magnified by the fact that
marathon day is a major celebratory event in Boston
(it falls on Patriots’ Day, which is a holiday in Massachusetts ), as President Obama noted in
a somber statement that decried the “senseless loss” and vowed that authorities
“will get to the bottom of this.”
The marathon draws about 23,000 runners and typically about
500,000 spectators. The first explosion went off in a trash can near the finish
line. The second went off a few seconds later several hundred yards away,
according to the New York Times. There were reports that authorities found
several other devices, at least one of which was detonated by police in a
controlled blast.
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