The power of press — You Decide with Errol Louis (NY1)
Fear and fiction in 1980s New York
NY1 argues that the press mishandled this story in very concrete ways — including getting basic facts wrong. One example that still comes up today: people keep messaging about the claim that the young men’s screwdrivers were “sharpened.” NY1 says they were not sharpened. The young men had screwdrivers on them for a different, practical purpose — not to brandish them as weapons.
NY1 also criticizes Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the New York Post in the late 1970s, describing it as part of a deliberate shift in tabloid coverage toward sensational crime reporting and “scare stories.” The point is that New York City was already rough and frightening in the early 1980s — and the media didn’t calm the public; it amplified fear. NY1 tells viewers: if today’s media makes you angry or scared, pay attention — because back then, the media environment was even more extreme.
