In the media business, what’s the one thing you can consistently expect from reporters, pundits, “experts,” and anchors on the day of a major news event? Speculation. Wild, unabashed speculation.

Oftentimes, their conjecture is based on their own political beliefs and agendas. And this can lead to some particularly ugly comments while the wounds are still fresh during major tragedies like the Newtown and Aurora massacres… and Monday’s Boston marathon bombings.

This is not to say that all media speculation ends up being inaccurate. But it is most often irresponsible, especially given how little facts are available immediately after a horrific event occurs. In the case of the Boston bombings, some pundits may ultimately prove correct that this was a work of Islamic extremists, or anti-tax protestors, or a mentally-deranged sociopath — but the rush to point fingers at various groups before the dust settles and the facts become clear is something the pundit class can’t seem to resist.

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, below are the 10 worst media reactions to the Boston bombings [special thanks to the Skeptical Libertarian blog for tipping us off to a few of these]:

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Andrew Kirell
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