Sarah Palin to Al Jazeera? The embarrassing snafu by The Washington Post
A writer for the venerable newspaper falls for a "report" at a satirical website
The theocratic regime in Iran earned global mockery last year when its state news agency fell for an article by the satirical newspaper The Onion, which claimed that a vast majority of rural whites in the U.S. would rather have a beer with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Obama. It turns out, however, that apparatchiks in the Iranian press are not the only ones to have mistaken parody for hard news. The Washington Post today published a blog post by Suzi Parker that claimed Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate, had joined the Qatari-based news channel Al Jazeera. Parker went on to rub Palin's face in it a bit, noting the delicious irony that Fox News, Palin's former employer, had dubbed Al Jazeera "an anti-American terror mouthpiece."
The only problem with Parker's analysis is that Palin never joined Al Jazeera, and the only source that ever claimed so was the satirical site the Daily Currant. A sample from the Daily Currant's "scoop":
The Post has been forced to publish an embarrassing correction, which reads:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
How (and why) to have the inheritance talk with family sooner than later
The Explainer The hard conversations aren't going to get any easier if you wait
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Sudan, tackling homelessness and fake news
Podcast What is happening in Sudan? Could London really end rough sleeping? And why has Joe Lycett been making up stories?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published