Posted on 12/30/2016 4:39:46 PM PST by Mount Athos
The Agence France-Presse on Thursday updated a misleading headline that suggested that Russia manipulated US vote totals on Election Day through hacking.
"US sanctions Russia over vote hacking," read an AFP headline.
The Obama administration leveled sanctions against Russia on Thursday for election-related hacking. But there is no evidence that Russian hackers broke into election systems to change vote totals. The White House and US intelligence agencies have only accused Moscow of hacking the Democratic National Committee and political operatives.
The AFP later corrected its headline to read: "US punishes Russia over election hacks."
An editor's note was not attached to the story. In a short phone conversation with Business Insider, Chris Lefkow, chief North America editor for AFP, declined to say his publication made an error publishing the initial headline.
Lefkow said critics were reading the headline too "literally." He then hung up the phone amid further questioning.
Critics had, indeed, seized on the AFP's initial headline to go after the news outlet. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, tweeted, "Some news outlets appear to want their readers to (incorrectly) think Russia tampered with vote totals."
Others replied to the AFP's story on Twitter and accused it of propagating "fake news."
Since President-elect Donald Trump's unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president, many in the media have focused on the prevalence of "fake news" and how it could have swayed some individuals to vote for the Republican businessman.
Conservatives have met the narrative with extreme skepticism. They argue that, while not fabricated out of thin air, much of the news reported by the so-called mainstream media is inaccurate or, as they characterize it, its own form of "fake news."
Even France can see through Zero’s lies.
“The Best of Hannity” was on the radio today. They played a tape that had Hillary saying, “There is no evidence of anyone hacking my emails”.
So, if Russia had done what is implied...was the response suitable?
It’s funny how the MSM was all over this “fake news” story for a week or so, before doubling down on its efforts to publish fake news.
I’m afraid that this fake news about supposed Russian hacking of the election (news which says nothing about how such hacking allegedly took place) is being used to try to provoke a war with Russia. Hillary talked a lot about war with Russia during her campaign, making it very clear that she really wanted it. And now that the Democrats lost the election, they are desperately trying to get that war going.
Took the headline “too literally” my eye.
It was fake news plain and simple.
And, when they go to the polls, they need to be well informed.
Thank you Russia, or whoever it was.
The effort to foment a conflict with Russia seems to be a cause by powerful players in Washington D.C. My theory of the motivation is to get corrupt money from the defense industry. This is the in-your-face anti-Trump forces ramping up Crony Capitalism in the Swamp.
Russia did the job our media should have done.
Typical Liberal. Will NEVER apologize, nor admit fault.
The Liberals are always demanding that their opponants apologize.
Never apologize to a Liberal. Never say "I'm Sorry!" It drives them absolutely nuts.
You think like George Washington.
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