New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof examines the way the press covered the federal anthrax probe into scientist Steven Hatfill. Turns out Hatfill wasn’t the guy and Kristof apologizes to him.
By Nicholas D. Kristof New York Times Columnist NEW YORK — By early 2002, it seemed clear that the United States government was muffing the anthrax investigation. Microbiologists interviewed by the F.B.I. reported that the bureau didn’t fully understand the science involved and had allowed the destruction of anthrax stocks that might have provided comparisons with the spores used in the attacks. In the spring of 2002, I wrote a series of columns about the anthrax investigation, including some in which I referred to a “Mr. Z” as an example of the flaws in the F.B.I.’s investigation. Some scientists had mentioned him to the F.B.I. early on as a candidate for closer scrutiny, but those trails weren’t initially followed.
