You could say it takes a village of idiots to make the mistake WAPO and confederate media made in reporting this story. But that would be cynical.
More dispassionately, how much of our opinions about the world is based on unreliable journalism?
The Washington Post’s Fake Trump Quote Scandal Is a Lot Worse Than You Think
Published
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
I am posting my comment from Dougherty’s scolding of WAPO.
“Yes, misquotes are wrong and a breech of journalistic ethics.
You did leave out “ “When the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised.” (What is the “right” answer and who is praising?)
Along with finding the “dishonesty” (what is fraud, after all?) and that she had the “most important job in the country” we have probable illegal pressure on a state election official to change election results.
So flog WAPO with righteous indignation, they deserve it.
But the essence of the story was spot on. Paired with the threats to the Secretary of State of legal action if he did not find fraud we have the whole picture.
GA prosecutor is investigating this as we write.”
That other news organizations jumped on this is just a laziness and the trend of today on both sides. The right wing echo chamber will post and repost on dozens of sites a quote or story no matter the truth.
How many retractions and mea culpas do we see from conservatives after being caught in egregious lies and not just misquotes that really don’t change the story one iota?
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RE: “But the essence of the story was spot on. Paired with the threats to the Secretary of State of legal action if he did not find fraud we have the whole picture.”
What matters is that the faked quotations spread out in the media landscape in such a way as to create political ignorance. The “essence of the story” could not have been “spot on” had the quotes been both real and accurate.
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The “essence of the story” was that he was pressuring GA officials to find that which did not exist. Even though SECSTATE Rapfensberger told him there was “no fraud”.
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If a paper reported that the deceased was shot with a .38, but it was a 9mm, the crime is still murder and the victim is still dead.
WAPO made an ethical breach no doubt. Yet the truth was that the ex-president tried to influence the election outcome in ways that broke the law in so much that a GA prosecutor is investigating.
The WAPO breach story has merit, but it doesn’t change what occurred.
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RE: “WAPO made an ethical breach no doubt.”
Yes, it did, one that had practical implications.
The event is a true example of fake news. No amount of rationalization can change that.
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OK. If you insist, I will let you believe what you want without further rebuttal.
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Headache from banging it on the concrete wall to get him to listen?
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“No amount of rationalization can change that.”
Isn’t THAT an interesting statement?
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…”how much of our opinions about the world is based on unreliable journalism?”
That could be said for most of us. You included. I’ll give you that you did say “our”.
Also, which non-confederate media reported it? How many of them said it never happened or just failed to report it.
I am not defending WAPO. However, I give them credit for taking responsibility for their faulty reporting. Sure would be nice of Fox, Newsmax, OANN would do that instead of just flat out lying to their audiences.
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Scandal?
You have got to be kidding. So, someone paraphrased what Trump said as he pressured the GA Secretary of State to commit a crime and WAPO thought it was a verbatim quotation. BFD! The essence of the very important story was accurate. Trump is now under criminal investigation for his post-election behavior.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/10/politics/trump-georgia-criminal-investigation-election/index.html
Your pontificating about “unreliable journalism while constantly relying on the likes of PJ Media is good for a laugh. Thanks.
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RE: “The essence of the very important story was accurate.”
Got it: Liars tell the truth.
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Again, no self-awareness. Mr. Roberts you are a diehard supporter of Donald Trump. As such, you really should not write things like . . . “Got it: Liars tell the truth.” And especially in the context of whining about a trivial error that changed NOTHING in an important story about egregious Presidential misconduct.
Here is the actual correction by WAPO . . .
“The recording [released two months after the original story] revealed that The Post misquoted Trump’s comments on the call, based on information provided by a source. Trump did not tell the investigator to “find the fraud” or say she would be “a national hero” if she did so. Instead, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize ballots in Fulton County, Ga., asserting she would find “dishonesty” there. He also told her that she had “the most important job in the country right now.”
So he said she would find “dishonesty” not that she would “find the fraud.” And he did not say she would be a national hero but that she had “the most important job in the country right now.”
There is no substantive difference between the error and the fact. This is yet another attempt by “conservatives” to manufacture a scandal where none exists. They do this all the time. Very sad.
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RE: “There is no substantive difference between the error and the fact.”
That’s irrelevant. What matters is that WAPO committed the error. The error is egregious because it is one journalists normally avoid, and because it was replicated by other outlets.
You are welcome to your opinion that the error is unimportant, but your justifications for thinking so don’t change the fact that it occurred. Moreover, since WAPO itself admitted the error, it is odd behavior indeed to defend the paper.
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“RE: “There is no substantive difference between the error and the fact.”
That’s irrelevant.”
Uh, it is HIGHLY relevant. It confirms that the idea that this trivial error is a “scandal” is laughable nonsense.
As for my “odd behavior” defending the WAPO you once again do not “Got It.” WAPO needs no defense. They reported what they were told by a source. As soon as they learned of this minor error BY THE SOURCE they printed a correction. I am not defending WAPO. I am charging those who want to blow this into a “scandal” with spreading laughable nonsense.
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RE: “I am not defending WAPO. I am charging those who want to blow this into a “scandal” with spreading laughable nonsense.”
YOU are the one claiming the error was not in fact an error, thereby blowing the issue out of proportion. Apparently, you want to make the story about Truth, when it is actually a story about breaching journalistic standards.
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“What matters is that WAPO committed the error”
What also matters is that WAPO admitted to the error and took responsibility for it and CORRECTED it.
Let me know when one of your “sources” actually learns how t be responsible for fertilizer.
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RE: “What also matters is that WAPO admitted to the error and took responsibility for it and CORRECTED it.”
Had Lee Harvey Oswald lived, that might have been his defense, too.
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One of your more asinine retorts. And completely irrelevant.
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“Had Lee Harvey Oswald lived, that might have been his defense, too.”
Yeah, using the words “finding fraud” instead of the words “finding dishonesty” is so much like gunning down the President of the United States!
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There you go. Liars make “paraphrases” of that which did not happen nor was said to tell malicious lies. You and Schiff are famously consistent liars by constantly claiming things that are plain lies through “paraphrasing”. We all know it, even you…
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The Washington Post originally reported what a source told them Trump had said. When the recording was released two months later, it became clear that the source was paraphrasing and WAPO issued a correction. The difference between the actual words and what was reported to WAPO was trivial. This is NOT a scandal. It is not important in any way. In fact, infinitely less important than the key fact accurately reported – Trump was on the phone pressuring state officials to overturn the results of their elections.
Since you feel free to call me a “famously consistent liar,” let me add that your comment is – as is almost always the case – both stupid and uncivil.
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Liars make statements all of the time that are reported in real time. Yet there you sit, on your fake gold plated throne just like your orange-faced G-d-king anti-Buddha.
Amazing.
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Interestingly, when MSM makes an error it become major news.
Sort of “man bites dog” in the sense that such errors are news because they are rare.
When right wing MSM lies and misleads, it is “dog bites man” as in “what else is new”.
See, it is so simple to understand…for most of us in the majority party.
Glad to be of assistance.
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When MSM makes an error and the error is pointed out or found out later, they tend to correct the error and own up to the how and why it happened.
The right wing media bubble is STILL selling things like stolen elections, vaccine ineffectiveness and the you-know-who won the election.
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