Thirty-eight witnesses watched Kitty Genovese's murder and did nothing
| Thirty-eight witnesses watched Kitty Genovese's murder and did nothing | |
|---|---|
| MISLEADING | |
| "In 1964, 38 respectable residents of Kew Gardens, Queens, watched for more than half an hour as Kitty Genovese was attacked and murdered, and none of them called the police." | |
| Domain | Culture, Religion & Society |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion False Context |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1964 |
| Origin | A front-page New York Times article by Martin Gansberg on March 27, 1964, and a subsequent book by Times editor A.M. Rosenthal |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-27 |
| Further reading: books on Culture, Religion & Society | |
The claim that 38 witnesses watched Kitty Genovese's murder and did nothing became a symbol of urban apathy and inspired research on the "bystander effect." Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, 28, was stabbed to death near her apartment in Queens on March 13, 1964, by Winston Moseley. Two weeks later, The New York Times reported that 38 neighbors had seen or heard the attack and failed to call the police. Later investigations by journalists and researchers found that this account was greatly exaggerated: few people saw the attacks, many heard only part of the incident and did not understand what was happening, and at least one person called the police. In 2016, the Times acknowledged that its original story had grossly exaggerated the number of witnesses and what they perceived. The murder was real and terrible, but the story of 38 indifferent witnesses was misleading.
What the evidence shows
- Witnesses. The number 38 came from police and was never documented as a list of people who saw the attack. Most heard noises or saw only part of the first attack and did not recognize it as a murder.
- Calls. Several accounts indicate that at least one or two people called the police. A neighbor, Sophia Farrar, went to help Genovese and held her as she was dying.
- Reexamination. A 2007 article in American Psychologist by Rachel Manning, Mark Levine and Alan Collins concluded there was no evidence for 38 witnesses who saw the murder and did nothing. Kevin Cook's 2014 book and the 2015 documentary The Witness, made with Genovese's brother, further corrected the record.
- Bystander research. Psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latané conducted experiments inspired by the case, finding that individuals are less likely to help when others are present. Their research remains influential, though the story that inspired it was inaccurate.
Why it persists
The story offered a powerful parable about modern city life and moral responsibility. It was taught for decades in psychology textbooks and became a cultural touchstone before corrections appeared.
Lessons for readers
- Powerful parables can be built on inaccurate reporting.
- Specific numbers in early reports deserve verification.
- Research findings can be valid even when the story that inspired them was wrong.
- News organizations can correct the record decades later.
See also
- Jimmy's World
- Most abducted children are taken by strangers
- Super Bowl Sunday is the worst day of the year for domestic violence
Sources
- Rachel Manning, Mark Levine and Alan Collins, "The Kitty Genovese murder and the social psychology of helping: The parable of the 38 witnesses," American Psychologist 62, no. 6 (2007).
- Kevin Cook, Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime that Changed America (W.W. Norton, 2014).
- Robert D. McFadden, "Winston Moseley, Who Killed Kitty Genovese, Dies in Prison at 81," The New York Times, April 4, 2016.