Crowdsourced Sleuthing Gone Wrong

👉 This is part of Truth Hunters

In the chaotic aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, Reddit's crowdsourced investigation spiraled into a dangerous example of digital mob justice. The r/findbostonbombers subreddit transformed from an amateur detective forum into a reckless witch hunt, falsely accusing innocent individuals and subjecting them to online and real-world harassment. This incident exposed the dark side of internet vigilantism—where anonymity, incomplete information, and collective panic can rapidly escalate into a harmful miscarriage of digital justice.

Most interesting because
This case brings a lot into question - particularly the role of Reddit vs traditional media the rules that bind journalists to the truth, vs those that bind a Reddit community - even if well-intentioned.