New York Post Sued by Its Bogus Bombing Suspects

We're going to go out on a limb and say that next time there's a terrorist attack on the US, the New York Post will fact-check better. It would be hard to do worse than its post-Boston Marathon effort, which saw it run a cover declaring two innocent running enthusiasts as "BAG MEN" that the FBI was looking for. Now, 16-year-old Salaheddin Barhoum and 24-year-old Yassine Zaimi are suing the paper for libel, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy, the Boston Globe reports.

The Post has in the past defended the story, saying that law enforcement had sought info on the two, and that the paper never identified them as suspects. But the lawsuit argues that "the front page would lead a reasonable reader to believe the plaintiffs had bombs in their bags, that they were involved in causing the Boston Marathon bombing," and says they have suffered "scorn, hatred, ridicule, or contempt" as a result. "What type of stereotyping and profiling, what type of reasoning, led the Post to think this was OK?" one of Barhoum's lawyers asks. (More New York Post stories.)