The congressional Benghazi hearings may leave room for debate about why the Administration acted as it did before, during, and after the tragedy, but they surely put to rest any lingering claims that the attack was a consequence of that YouTube video, “Innocence of Muslims."
As noted here and here, this was not the first time people rushed to link a murderous act with controversial speech, and it won’t be the last. But it should stand as an abiding lesson for producers and consumers of the news, and for commentators of all stripes, to be deeply skeptical of similar claims in the future.
The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and not of The Media Institute, its Board, contributors, or advisory councils.