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If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed?
In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed,
but even now we still don't know for sure who did it.
It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories.
I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series,
I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story.
What did they miss the first time?
The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs.
Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Chris, shall we play a little thought experiment with newscast listeners?
Oh, yeah.
What is the first thing newscast listener that pops into your mind when I say the word London?
It's a big word, isn't it?
Hang on, I need to give them some time to think.
Oh, sorry.
I'm just jumping in.
Well, it's that thing that, you know, because it can be quite loaded.
So I remember, you know, growing up in Yorkshire, there'd be that sense of,
yes, it's the capital city, and there's that sense of the smoke,