WaPo Publishes a Disclaimer on its Fake News Story About Fake News

[portlander23]

@TruthDig

.@washingtonpost has published an editor's note atop its Nov. 24 report re: Russian propaganda/fake news & PropOrNot http://tdig.it/2gcq1IA

The now amended article carries this disclaimer:

Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say
Craig Timberg
Washington Post

Editor’s Note: The Washington Post on Nov. 24 published a story on the work of four sets of researchers who have examined what they say are Russian propaganda efforts to undermine American democracy and interests. One of them was PropOrNot, a group that insists on public anonymity, which issued a report identifying more than 200 websites that, in its view, wittingly or unwittingly published or echoed Russian propaganda. A number of those sites have objected to being included on PropOrNot’s list, and some of the sites, as well as others not on the list, have publicly challenged the group’s methodology and conclusions. The Post, which did not name any of the sites, does not itself vouch for the validity of PropOrNot’s findings regarding any individual media outlet, nor did the article purport to do so. Since publication of The Post’s story, PropOrNot has removed some sites from its list.

The PropOrNot study cited by the Post had listed a number of well respected progressive news outlets. It looks like PropOrNot as not published a retraction, but rather removed the progressive sites from their made-up list (after several news outlets threatened legal action). The Post should just publish a retraction. This is simply bad journalism.

Publishing fake news about fake news doesn't help the fake news problem.