Tag: fake news

Pulitzer Follies: Trump lawsuit exposes uncomfortable truths about journalism’s highest award

President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board is forcing into the public eye uncomfortable revelations about how the news industry’s top prize giver handled the unraveling of Russia collusion allegations, exposing conflicts in testimony and an admission that people other than Trump complained about its 2018 awards to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of the now-discredited scandal.

While the litigation in an Okeechobee County, Florida courthouse makes its way to the Florida Supreme Court, new admissions by the intelligence community have undercut the factual basis underlying some of the stories that won the two newspapers the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting.

One of those stories was a December 2017 report by The Washington Post that accused Trump of ignoring or trying to downplay U.S. intelligence claims that Putin tried to help him win the 2016 election. “Nearly a year into his presidency, Trump continues to reject the evidence that Russia waged an assault on a pillar of American democracy and supported his run for the White House,” the Post’s award-winning story declared.

While there remains widespread consensus inside U.S. spy agencies that Russia hacked Democratic National Committee emails that embarrassed Hillary Clinton, the narrative the news stories spawned — namely, that Russia’s intent was to help Trump win the election — is disputed.

The claim that Putin was specifically trying to help Trump was included in a December 2016 Obama administration intelligence community assessment (ICA), but in fact there were concerns about that claim and the way that review was done inside the intelligence community, according to new evidence made public this month.

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Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List

Note: Now that President Trump has been re-elected, this list will be continued with the newest incidents at the top.

Click here for Media Mistakes in the Biden Era

180. Sunday, June 22, 2025

MSNBC, CNN and other media falsely reported or implied that the Trump administration failed to notify any Democrats ahead of the Iran strike. MSNBC later corrected the story to reflect that the White House notified the top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) before the strike. The White House also said officials tried to reach the top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), but that could not be reached until after the strike.

179. May-June 2025

Many news and medical media sites falsely reported that the CDC was recommending all travelers get a measles shots. In fact, the CDC did not recommend vaccination for people already vaccinated, for people who have had measles, and for people born prior to a certain date.

178. Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Headlined as an “exclusive” and based on anonymous sources, Nature Magazine falsely reported that the NIH was threatening thousands of global health projects by ceasing foreign awards to laboratories and hospitals outside the U.S.

A transcript of an interview with the reporter reveals that NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya had repeatedly told the reporter that it was untrue that all foreign awards would be halted.

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The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel

As Israel and Iran trade blows in a quickly escalating conflict that risks engulfing the rest of the region as well as a more direct confrontation between Iran and the U.S., social media is being flooded with AI-generated media that claims to show the devastation, but is fake.

The fake videos and images show how generative AI has already become a staple of modern conflict. On one end, AI-generated content of unknown origin is filling the void created by state-sanctioned media blackouts with misinformation, and on the other end, the leaders of these countries are sharing AI-generated slop to spread the oldest forms of xenophobia and propaganda.

If you want to follow a war as it’s happening, it’s easier than ever. Telegram channels post live streams of bombing raids as they happen and much of the footage trickles up to X, TikTok, and other social media platforms. There’s more footage of conflict than there’s ever been, but a lot of it is fake.

A few days ago, Iranian news outlets reported that Iran’s military had shot down three F-35s. Israel denied it happened. As the claim spread so did supposed images of the downed jet. In one, a massive version of the jet smolders on the ground next to a town. The cockpit dwarfs the nearby buildings and tiny people mill around the downed jet like Lilliputians surrounding Gulliver.

It’s a fake, an obvious one, but thousands of people shared it online. Another image of the supposedly downed jet showed it crashed in a field somewhere in the middle of the night. Its wings were gone and its afterburner still glowed hot. This was also a fake.

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DHS debunks Dodgers’ claim that ICE attempted a raid at stadium on game day

The Department of Homeland Security poured cold water on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ claim that there was an attempted Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at their stadium on Thursday.

The reigning World Series champs’ official X account claimed that ICE agents had requested access to the Dodger Stadium parking lot Thursday morning, with the team touting that it had denied the agents entry — in the wake of Los Angeles being ground zero of resistance against the Trump administration’s immigration raids.

DHS officials, however, said that the team’s grandstanding was irrelevant because there was never an operation in the works at the stadium.

“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers,” the agency wrote on X. “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”

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Federal Contractor Shuts Down Smear Campaign Accusing Tucker Carlson of Being Funded by Qatar

A federal contractor involved in the controversy has flatly debunked a smear campaign accusing Tucker Carlson of being a Qatari puppet.

The Jerusalem Post reported in May that Qatar, a known supporter of terrorist groups like Hamas and a close ally of the Iranian regime, ramped up its outreach to right-wing media by over 50% following Donald Trump’s landslide 2024 election victory.

The news outlet cited a report from The Washington Examiner, which analyzed U.S. Justice Department records, that Qatar orchestrated a high-profile interview between Carlson and Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Qatari agents paid a US firm $180,000 per month for this interview to materialize, it added.

Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings revealed that Lumen8 Advisors LLC, a little-known legal consulting firm, played a role in arranging the meeting between Carlson and Thani.

Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, told The Washington Examiner in response to the Carlson interview: “Qatar wants to further cement ties with Trump for many reasons, including to defend itself against Republican attacks for its relationship with Hamas and Iran.”

Carlson was far from Qatar’s sole target in its goal to hold influence over conservative media. Doha engaged with conservative news agencies such as Fox News, the New York Post, Just the News, and The Daily Mail. In some cases, favorable coverage shortly followed.

Critics are concerned that Qatar is trying to soften its image in the eyes of America, keeping in mind that it is known for having ties with the Iranian regime and with terrorist groups such as Hamas.

America First investigative reporter Laura Loomer didn’t hold back, sharing screenshots of the FARA filings and accusing Carlson of participating in “paid propaganda.” Loomer torched Carlson on X, saying:

Here’s the screenshot from the FARA documents filled out this year that prove Qatar paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for an interview between @TuckerCarlson and the Prime Minister of Qatar (the same Qatar which funds HAMAS) regarding the “war with Iran”.

This was a paid propaganda piece in which over $200,000 was paid by the Embassy of the State of Qatar for Tucker to interview a Qatari official all while knowing HAMAS is an Iranian proxy and funded by Qatar.

Qatar funds Islamic terror all around the world and they think they can just pay everyone off to make them turn a blind eye. The Qataris are global funders of Islamic terrorism and their money has been used to murder American citizens.

These are not good people.

Tucker Carlson wants you to think his thoughts on Iran are based and original, but he’s literally participating in paid for interviews by the Qataris, who are funding and providing pent houses and luxury lifestyles to the leaders of HAMAS in DOHA.

Tucker should just be honest that he’s a mouthpiece for genocidal Muslims.

His media company was literally funded by a MUSLIM investor who is half Pakistani and half Iranian and who spends a lot of time in Qatar. And trust me when I say a lot of people in pro-Trump circles are very uncomfortable with this.

Tucker is controlled by Muslims. People need to wake up and stop pretending like this is a conspiracy theory.

Qatar and Iran are buying off conservative podcasters to push pro-Islamist, anti-American and anti-Israel talking points to undermine President Trump.

Conservative titan Mark Levin praised Loomer’s exposé, simply stating, “Well done.”

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Humiliation for Kamala Harris after ‘fake’ California governor dropout post drives 2028 rumors amid LA riots

A new image of a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris announcing she would not run for governor of California was denounced by her team as a fake after it went viral on social media on Monday.

The image had a similar template as a statement Harris earlier used to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard to combat rioting protesters in California.

But the fake statement from Harris featured three separate typos as it purported to announce that she had decided not to enter the race for Governor of California. 

Eric Katz, a Senior Correspondent for GovExec shared the post on X, noting it was sent to him by a source who said it would be made public shortly.

‘Source sent it before it went public. Not usually what I cover but wanted to share. I expect it will be up soon,’ he wrote.

But Harris’ spokesperson Kristen Allen moved quickly to denounce the post as ‘fake’ after it started gaining traction.

Katz later deleted his post, apologizing for posting what appeared to be a false statement

‘I’ve deleted a previous tweet reposting something sent to me that now appears inauthentic. Apologies for sharing too quickly,’ he wrote.

Harris remains unclear about her plans to run for governor in California, despite frustrations from her fellow Democrats who believe she needs to get in the race or officially rule out a run for office. 

The former vice president joined many California Democrats on Sunday denouncing President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles to help quell violent protests in the city.

She was ridiculed for describing the protests as ‘overwhelmingly peaceful,’ even as protesters burned vehicles, threw rocks, and blocked freeways.

Harris condemned Trump for his ‘cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division’ in the city.

Earlier this month Harris further triggered speculation that she was not running for governor of California after she delivered a lackluster three-minute virtual address to the Democratic state political convention

In a steady, monotone voice, she spoke about the Trump administration’s recent actions against universities and praised activists’ efforts to fight the president’s agenda.

‘While this administration in Washington tries to divide us, we hear know that we are stronger when we stand together,’ she said, a flashback to her 2024 campaign slogan.

Harris’ failure to appear at the convention in person suggested she was not interested in running for governor of California, and instead may be pursuing a return to presidential politics. 

The Democratic primary for the governor race is scheduled for June 2, 2026, with the general election scheduled for November.

Harris has always been popular in California, easily beating Democratic challengers in her races for Attorney General and Senator.

Her 2020 race for president, however, failed spectacularly as she ended her campaign before the Iowa caucuses and the California primary.

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‘The View’ Co-Host Sunny Hostin Says Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts Have Killed 300,000 People — ‘Mostly Children’

The View co-host Sunny Hostin has claimed that Elon Musk’s government cuts have killed over 300,000 people, most of whom are children.

In Wednesday’s episode of the political talk show, Hostin and her fellow panelists reflected on Musk’s legacy after he recently departed the role of leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“But the damage that he did was just really incredible,” Hostin declared.

“He slashed 250,000 federal employees, more than 8500 contracts, more than 10,000 grants, and his cutbacks on medical research cost the lives of — the foreign aid — cost 300,000 lives, mostly children.”

“That’s the damage that Elon Musk did,” she continued. “So I don’t think anyone should be listening to him about anything.”

It is unclear where Hostin sourced this so-called statistic, although her fellow co-hosts did nothing to push back on it.

“Elon knows the 411 on everything,” fellow co-host Whoopi Goldberg chimed in.

“Yeah, he got all that information,” Hostin agreed.

“So Trump should be afraid of him,” added Joy Behar. “He has the receipts on the election, too.”

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Busted: The Daily Mail and X’s Misinformation Campaign about Measles

On May 31, The “Daily Mail” and the web-based news aggregator “All Sides” had articles titled: “CDC tells Americans to CANCEL their flights after finding world’s most infectious disease is spreading on planes.”

This is one of the most clear-cut examples of fake news being deployed in a coordinated manner to advance a psychological bioterror campaign that I have ever encountered.

These articles make outright false claims about Measles. Other terms to describe what is being done here include psychological bioterrorism, fear porn, or simply lies and disinformation. The proof of this follows. Which leads to the burning question of whether or not the notoriously censorial UK Government of Keir Starmer will do anything about it. If not, we can reasonably consider this prima facie evidence that the UK government is (at a minimum) complicit in spreading disinformation and promoting false fear of infectious disease for some hidden purpose.

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Top CNN Reporter OUT After Outlet Pays Navy Vet Millions of Dollars in Defamation Settlement

A top CNN reporter announced he is leaving the network after the outlet was forced to pay a Navy vet millions of dollars in a defamation settlement.

“Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business. Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad,” Alex Marquardt said on Monday.

In January, CNN paid Navy Vet Zachary Young an undisclosed settlement for punitive damages after it was already ordered to pay $5 million in emotional and financial damages.

Zachary Young sued CNN for defamation over a 2021 report on his work helping Afghans during Biden’s botched withdrawal.

The lawsuit against CNN stemmed from their coverage of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, which the court previously determined showcased “actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough” for Plaintiff Zachary Young to seek damages.

Young, who was offering to transport Afghans out of the country to flee the Taliban in 2021, was accused by Tapper and CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt of running a “black market” scheme and exploiting “desperate Afghans” for personal gain while disregarding the dangers and circumstances surrounding the evacuation efforts.

Tapper even maliciously and sarcastically highlighted Young’s use of the word “unfortunately” in a message to the network about the “extremely limited” availability of evacuations and high demand, as if to imply that Young was benefitting from the situation.

Young argued that the network intentionally painted him in a bad light and harmed his security consulting company.

The jury found CNN guilty of defamation earlier this year.

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BACKFIRE: Democrats Pounce on Trump After Seeing Report About Mexican Girl Facing Active Deportation Despite Suffering from a Rare and Fatal Disease…Then the Full Story Emerges

Democrats once again fell flat on their faces while trying to smear the Trump Administration as evil and barbaric after learning about a tragic story involving a little girl from Mexico suffering a rare and deadly medical condition.

The narrative pushed by the corporate media is that a critically ill four-year-old girl named Sofia Vargas, who is originally from Mexico, has been ordered to leave America immediately. Her family’s ‘legal’ immigration status was revoked earlier this month for unclear reasons.

Sofia suffers from short bowel syndrome, which occurs when a person’s small intestine is shortened or damaged. This condition makes it incredibly difficult to absorb sufficient nutrients from food to maintain health. It affects only 10,000 to 20,000 people in America.

Sofia requires at least 14 hours of intravenous nutrition per day to prevent possible death.

The Vargas family entered America under the Biden regime’s CBP One app in July 2023 and were granted humanitarian parole for the purpose of seeking medical treatment for Sofia.

“They received a subsequent notice weeks later, and a third notice in May verifying that they are no longer in lawful status and are now vulnerable to deportation,” Gina Amato, directing attorney of the Immigrants Rights Project at Public Counsel, whined during a press conference on Wednesday. “The notices also ordered the family to leave the United States immediately.”

Several Democratic officials and activists promptly pounced on the story, calling Trump sick among other hateful things.

Sending Vargas back to Mexico would almost certainly result in her death, considering her native country’s poor health care system. But this is not happening.

An official from the DHS revealed in a statement to The Independent that Sofia is not only not being actively deported but her family’s application for humanitarian parole is still under consideration.

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