Summary In a statement, CNN said its “initial reporting of the date on an email sent to members of the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks documents, which was confirmed by two sources to CNN, was incorrect. We have updated our story to include the correct date, and present the proper context for the timing of email.” Photo: AP
(Web Desk) – American news agency CNN (cable news network) had to correct a story on Donald Trump suggesting that his campaign had been tipped off early about WikiLeaks documents that were damaging to his then election opponent Hillary Clinton.
According to TIME, the news agency later corrected the story due to the nature of the news, which was already publicly available.
CNN noted on the new information that it, “indicates the communication is less significant than CNN initially reported.”
In a statement, CNN said its “initial reporting of the date on an email sent to members of the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks documents, which was confirmed by two sources to CNN, was incorrect. We have updated our story to include the correct date, and present the proper context for the timing of email.”
Major news organisations are coming under fire and this time it was CNN for its story that initially damaged the president but couldn’t live up to scrutiny, giving more reasons for Trump to campaign against “fake news”.
CNN’S slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
The story posted on Friday stated that an email was sent to Trump and campaign officials on September 4, 2016, along with a link to documents from the Democratic National Committee hacked by WikiLeaks.
Washington Post reported a few hours later on the CNN story, stating the correct date was September 14, and pointed out that it was not a tip to secret documents, since WikiLeaks had released them a day earlier.
Giving leverage to the President to speak on the mistakes done by the news agencies, Trump spoke at a rally in Florida pointing to CNN’s and other news agency which corrected and clarified their reports.
“Did you see all the corrections the media’s been making?” Trump asked the crowd. “They’ve been apologising left and right.”
Trump singled out suspended ABC reporter Brian Ross, calling him a “fraudster” and saying he should have been fired because his error caused a dip in the stock market. “I said to everybody: Get yourself a lawyer and sue ABC News,” he said.
In a tweet, he congratulated ABC News for suspending Brain Ross.
Congratulations to @ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt. More Networks and “papers” should do the same with their Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017
“They apologised! Oh thank you, CNN. Thank you so much. You should have been apologising for the last two years,” he said.
In a feud by the angry administration of Trump, counselor Kellyanne Conway tweeted to CNN reporters: “Be honest and keep explaining the much-repeated lie you let live for hours. Tell America WHY the date of the email is important. (Hint: it destroys your attempt to destroy @DonaldJTrumpJr).”
Trump took to Twitter and called CNN’s error a “vicious and purposeful mistake.”
Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his “mistake”). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
In a response to this, CNN stated that there was an error in the sources and did not blame the reporters.
Both stories of CNN and ABC News were looking into investigating the involvement of Russian officials in Trump’s presidential campaign.
TIME reports that despite small erroneous mistakes the stories written on Trump in particular are damaging for journalists because polls indicate that a majority of Trump supporters believe the president’s argument that media fabricates stories about him more than occasionally.
