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What about organizations like CNN, that spend months and sometimes years on conspiracy theories, only to move on to the next one when the previous turns out to

What about organizations like CNN, that spend months and sometimes years on conspiracy theories, only to move on to the next one when the previous turns out to be false? Here's for reference an example: https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-media-lied-repeatedly-about-officer https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-media-lied-repeatedly-a...

treeman79 6y ago
It’s been getting harder to find references like these online. Stories I’ve read about can not be found anymore. It’s like someone is messing with the search results to only give one political viewpoint. On the plus side it’s fun learning about what your not supposed to know by seeing the fact checkers disprove a story I hadn’t yet heard about. So convenient that the refutation ranks higher.
onedognight 6y ago
The article you refer to exaggerates its first claim so disingenuously that I won’t bother to read the rest. It claims: > The New York Times on January 8 published an emotionally gut-wrenching but complete fiction that never had any evidence — that Officer Sicknick's skull was savagely bashed in with a fire extinguisher by a pro-Trump mob until he died While the referenced (archived) NYT article says: > At some point in the chaos [...] he was struck with a fire extinguisher and > He returned to his division office and collapsed, There is no cause of death claimed by the NYT. No “bashing until he died” claimed. For background, that at least one rioter (Sanford) threw a fire extinguisher and hit three cops in the head (two wearing helmets) is alleged by the FBI based video evidence[1]. [1] https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Robert%20Sanford%20Statement%20of%20Facts.pdf https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Robert%...
- nitrogen 6y ago
  Was the NYT article edited after the fact? That happens fairly often. I remember having to calm my gf down after she was so upset by the news that someone had their head bashed in with a fire extinguisher. It was definitely reported, and definitely false.
  - onedognight 6y ago
    Unlikely. The article linked to, and I read, the web archive copy of the NYT article and not the NYT directly.
  - epakai 6y ago
    Here's the quote I see from articles alleging the NY Times reported and spread a false story: "Mr. Sicknick, 42, an officer for the Capitol Police, died on Thursday from brain injuries he sustained after Trump loyalists who overtook the complex struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials." It appears to have come from this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/flag-lowering-trump-sicknick.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/flag-lowering... As best as I can tell the fire extinguisher was a different event in which officers were struck by a thrown extinguisher. Sicknick did suffer brain injuries (a stroke). The medical examiner hasn't attributed fault to possible exposure to bear spray that some protestors might have used, so his stroke is determined to be from natural causes. I think we have to wait for the accused protestor's trials to determine finally whether they assaulted Sicknick.
- yostrovs 6y ago
  They started this rumor, the rumor went around all the television stations on repeat for weeks, and then when it turned out this was based on nothing, that it was some kind of fabrication, the NYT doesn't do a front page retraction with a humble apology for stirring up the country.
CountDrewku 6y ago
They're not the wrong side and adhere to the appropriate ideology. So, they get to lie all they want.

treeman79 6y ago

It’s been getting harder to find references like these online. Stories I’ve read about can not be found anymore. It’s like someone is messing with the search results to only give one political viewpoint. On the plus side it’s fun learning about what your not supposed to know by seeing the fact checkers disprove a story I hadn’t yet heard about. So convenient that the refutation ranks higher.

onedognight 6y ago

The article you refer to exaggerates its first claim so disingenuously that I won’t bother to read the rest. It claims: > The New York Times on January 8 published an emotionally gut-wrenching but complete fiction that never had any evidence — that Officer Sicknick's skull was savagely bashed in with a fire extinguisher by a pro-Trump mob until he died While the referenced (archived) NYT article says: > At some point in the chaos [...] he was struck with a fire extinguisher and > He returned to his division office and collapsed, There is no cause of death claimed by the NYT. No “bashing until he died” claimed. For background, that at least one rioter (Sanford) threw a fire extinguisher and hit three cops in the head (two wearing helmets) is alleged by the FBI based video evidence[1]. [1] https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Robert%20Sanford%20Statement%20of%20Facts.pdf https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Robert%...

nitrogen 6y ago
Was the NYT article edited after the fact? That happens fairly often. I remember having to calm my gf down after she was so upset by the news that someone had their head bashed in with a fire extinguisher. It was definitely reported, and definitely false.
- onedognight 6y ago
  Unlikely. The article linked to, and I read, the web archive copy of the NYT article and not the NYT directly.
- epakai 6y ago
  Here's the quote I see from articles alleging the NY Times reported and spread a false story: "Mr. Sicknick, 42, an officer for the Capitol Police, died on Thursday from brain injuries he sustained after Trump loyalists who overtook the complex struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials." It appears to have come from this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/flag-lowering-trump-sicknick.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/flag-lowering... As best as I can tell the fire extinguisher was a different event in which officers were struck by a thrown extinguisher. Sicknick did suffer brain injuries (a stroke). The medical examiner hasn't attributed fault to possible exposure to bear spray that some protestors might have used, so his stroke is determined to be from natural causes. I think we have to wait for the accused protestor's trials to determine finally whether they assaulted Sicknick.
yostrovs 6y ago
They started this rumor, the rumor went around all the television stations on repeat for weeks, and then when it turned out this was based on nothing, that it was some kind of fabrication, the NYT doesn't do a front page retraction with a humble apology for stirring up the country.

CountDrewku 6y ago

They're not the wrong side and adhere to the appropriate ideology. So, they get to lie all they want.