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When Fact-Checkers Trip Up Journalists Because None of Them Do the Research

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Gilded Reframe – TIME MAGAZINE

  • If you were completely wrong, is he still "Knocked Off Course'?

The trap set for some journalists regarding fact-checkers is that when they rely on the conclusions of these slanted "experts," they usually forgo doing their own research. Trusting in those who contort facts to manipulate a result can lead to looking foolish. Time Magazine became so ensnared when it came to a fact-check on Trump stating Harris wants to provide transgender surgeries for illegal immigrants in prison. 

Buying the fact-check that this was a false statement by Trump means Time was tripped up by the fact Harris is on the record making this position. It was forced to issue this rather glaring correction:

The original version of this story mischaracterized as false Donald Trump's statement accusing Kamala Harris of supporting “transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison” As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris filled out a questionnaire saying she supported taxpayer-funded gender transition treatment for detained immigrants.

Low-Octane Gaslighting – THE NEW YORKER

  • Is it considered an "outbreak" when sloth takes over the news industry?

Falling into the exact same trap as Time was Susan Glasser. She boldly and brashly lashed out at Donald Trump over this very same issue, displaying that she too is rather averse at doing research.

Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – WASHINGTON POST

  • When you get Glenn's seal of approval, it means it was an even worse job than initially judged.

WaPo's truth detector Glenn Kessler weighed in with his assessment of the performance of David Muir and Linsey Davis during the debate. He was trying to appear objective, but the very fact that those two crossed the line of propriety and fact-checked Trump live – well, you know Kessler was positively vibrating with excitement as he watched!

To get a sense of his emotionally-charged reaction, he begins a thread by haltingly suggesting that fact-checking should not have taken place by moderators, but then in the end, he was so filled with joy that he suggests they may have altered the standard for debates going forward.

Pathological Media Amnesia – THE SEATTLE TIMES

  • So you are really looking to memory-hole what had been a long-running national story in your backyard?!

Also looking to get in on the fact-checking of Trump at the debate was this Seattle outlet which took umbrage with his comment about the time the city tolerated having a massive, blocks-long encampment taking over a large parcel of real estate. The Seattle Times is actually trying to deny this was the case in the effort to debunk Trump's comment.

Too bad for the paper that there is disqualifying evidence to be found – in the very same newspaper.

News Avoidance Syndrome – PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE

  • Journalist, heal thyself!

In perhaps the biggest case of personal delusion, none other than Judy Woodruff dared to conduct an interview where she and her subject dared to explore the concept that social media is a hotbed of misinformation that could influence the election and our democracy.

This would be the very same Ms. Woodruff– who we covered mere weeks ago – dispensing a glaring dose of misinformation at an election event when she claimed while covering the Democratic National Convention that Donald Trump was telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to broker a ceasefire because that would make Kamala Harris look better. 

First Amendment Strike Force – WHITE HOUSE NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION

  • Maybe you cannot catch them on film because they are transparent...?

It seems that anytime a Democratic administration comes into power one of the things they crow about is being a completely transparent outfit. Then, as usual, they put the clamps on the press and information. Now, we see from this report by Axios that Kamala Harris has been a force in the White House for giving far less access to the media, including the photographic correspondents.

They have limited access to names in the administration, diminished the number of seats granted to the visual journos, and even suggested having them on segregated transportation so they have far less exposure.

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