Many journalists have pressed Donald Trump and his campaign on the GOP presidential frontrunner’s claim that “thousands and thousands” of New Jersey Muslims cheered while watching the World Trade Center towers collapse on 9/11.
They’ve relied on the basic journalistic premise that a handful of celebrating Muslims — as multiple sources have confirmed — is far different than thousands.
But two stories posted Wednesday on Breitbart.com, including one headlined “Trump 100% Vindicated: CBS Reports ‘Swarm’ On Rooftops Celebrating 9/11,” try to back up the Republican presidential candidate using magical math, generous leaps of the imagination and alterations of Trump’s actual claims.
Editor-at-Large John Nolte, who refused to comment on the record to TheWrap for this story, wrote on Trump’s “100%” vindication by citing a local CBS report published days after the attacks that a Jersey City apartment building was “swarming with suspects” cheering on the roof as the towers went down.
Nolte then applied creative math: “swarms” + radio reports + MTV report = “thousands”
You hear radio news reports about Muslims celebrations.
MTV runs a news report about Muslim celebrations.
From all of those news reports, it is perfectly reasonable and nothing close to lying to put together a picture of “thousands.”
FACT: Donald Trump is now 100 percent vindicated.
For anyone scolded during early journalism days for not being uber-vigilant on numbers, this Trump-supporting math mish-mosh violates journalism 101.
In another story, “9 Pieces of Documentation that Vindicate Trump’s Claim of 9/11 Muslim Celebrations,” Nolte again changed the very nature of the GOP frontrunner’s controversial claims.
Nolte acknowledged there’s no evidence to support the claim that thousands cheered.
“At worst, though, the Republican frontrunner is guilty of exaggerating,” he wrote before listing a nine items that support the claim — never actually uttered by Trump — that isolated pockets of American Muslims celebrated after the attacks.
He cited former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who’ve both acknowledged they heard reports of a small number of Muslims cheering, but not thousands.
Nolte concluded: “The DC Media, however, lied for 14 years and continues to lie today … thanks to Donald Trump, we know the truth.”
Numbers matter, particularly in journalism. The reason media organizations are taking Trump to task isn’t to deflect claims that some U.S. Muslims might have celebrated the 9/11 attacks, it’s to prevent a false notion that thousands did so, which would unjustly paint an inaccurate picture.
Breitbart, who’s been favorable to Trump throughout its campaign coverage, did just that.
21 Biggest Media Missteps of All Time (Photos)
The Washington Post's Fabricated Heroin Child Addict
Janet Cooke, who falsely claimed a master's degree from the University of Toledo, wrote a profile in 1980 for the Washington Post on an 8-year-old heroin addict. The story went viral and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. Two days after winning, the Post admitted the story had been fabricated and she resigned.
TheWrap
"The Daily Show's" "Blow Me" Blow Up
In 1997, then-host Craig Kilborn told Esquire in an interview that co-creator Lizz Winstead found him attractive, asserting: "If I wanted her to blow me, she would." He was suspended and she quit some time later.
Stephen Glass, formerly a journalist for The New Republic, was discovered to have fabricated almost half of his articles. In 1998, it was revealed that he had invented events, quotes and sources for a number of publications.
NY Times' Faulty Coverage of Iraq's Weapons Program
Judith Miller of the New York Times was discovered to have reported on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in 2002 using inaccurate information from unreliable sources. At the time, her articles were used to push the U.S. case for war with Iraq.
Jayson Blair worked as a journalist for the New York Times before resigning in May 2003 when his editor questioned him about similarities between his work and that of other journalists. Blair later told "Talk of the Nation" that his bad habit started when he grabbed a quote from a press conference that he had not attended.
Dan Rather, then a correspondent on "60 Minutes," produced a flawed CBS News story in September 2004 that challenged President George W. Bush's National Guard service. Rather used fake documents to show Bush had received special treatment. Once the scandal made news, several CBS producers were fired.
CBS fired Don Imus in April 2007 for using racial slurs on his radio program, during which he referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hoes." Opponents protested the show, sponsors pulled advertising and the show was canceled a week later.
Getty Images
Sue Simmons F-Bomb Outburst
WNBC New York news anchor Sue Simmons dropped a serious gaffe in a teaser for the 11 p.m. news in July 2008, yelling "What the f-ck are you doing?" on-air. Simmons was subsequently fired, but loyal fans fueled a #SaveSueSimmons hashtag and encouraged WNBC to bring her back.
MSNBC host Ed Schultz called rival pundit Laura Ingraham a "right wing slut" in May 2011, resulting in his suspension and later replacement. The slur was in response to Ingraham’s criticism of President Obama’s Ireland trip while tornadoes were devastating the United States.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation was busted for hacking the phones of celebrities, government officials and members of the British Royal Family on several occasions. The issue became a huge topic after the Guardian reported in July 2011 that the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler had been hacked by News Corp., leading to the arrests of a number of top company editors.
Salaheddin Barhoum and Yassine Zaimi were misidentified as the Boston Marathon bombers by the New York Post in April 2013. The publication printed a photo of the men on its front page with the damning headline "Bag Men." They later sued for libel, invasion of privacy and emotional distress.
Washington Post
CBS' Discredited "60 Minutes" on Benghazi
"60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan and her producer were asked to take a leave of absence after it was revealed her October 2013 report on Benghazi was flawed. Her eyewitness volunteered information to "60 Minutes" about an attack that differed from the version he told the FBI. She returned six months later.
Reporter Randi Kaye looked a bit under the influence while on air with Anderson Cooper in January 2014. In the "Gone to Pot" segment, Kaye is seen swaying back and forth and giggling while covering the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado.
In July 2014, Twitter users began noticing familiar phrases between BuzzFeed writer Benny Johnson's articles and those of other websites. BuzzFeed found 41 times when he had plagiarized someone else's work or improperly attributed. He was fired and BuzzFeed issued a statement.
Bill Simmons was suspended by ESPN for three weeks in September 2014 for his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's handling of the Ray Rice scandal. He dared ESPN to fire him for speaking out, stating he'd go public about Goodell if anyone punished him. In 2015 Simmons' contract was not renewed.
Rolling Stone's Erroneous "A Rape on Campus" Story
Sabrina Rubin Erdely published a story in the Dec. 2014 issue of Rolling Stone that claimed several fraternity members at the University of Virginia raped a woman named "Jackie" during a chapter house party. The story was discredited after other journalists noticed discrepancies in Jackie's story, and Rolling Stone retracted it in Apr. 2015.
Rolling Stone
New Republic's Unwarranted Facelift
Known as the man who bought and subsequently ruined the New Republic, Chris Hughes was blasted in Dec. 2014 by the journalism community for drastically changing the publication. Approximately 50 of the magazine's staffers resigned in protest.
ESPN's Very Own Goes to War Over Penn State's THON
Keith Olbermann's sharp tongue has gotten him into trouble a few times, including his Twitter war with Penn State students in Feb. 2015 over their annual THON fundraiser. Olbermann mocked the university, which two years earlier had been penalized by the NCAA over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. ESPN suspended him.
"NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams Tells Matt Lauer Suspension Was ‘Torture,’ But ‘Absolutely Necessary’ (Video)" href="https://www.thewrap.com/brian-williams-tells-matt-lauer-suspension-was-torture-video/">Brian Williams admitted in Feb. 2015 that he exaggerated his experience aboard a helicopter that was struck by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Williams was suspended by the network and will return as Brian Williams Demoted to MSNBC Breaking News Anchor" href="https://www.thewrap.com/brian-williams-demoted-to-msnbc-breaking-news-anchor/">a breaking news anchor for MSNBC in August.
ESPN reporter Britt McHenry was suspended for a week in Apr. 2015 after a video in which she berates a towing company employee went viral and received heavy public backlash.
Gawker’s Condé Nast controversy joins a growing list of spectacular media fails
The Washington Post's Fabricated Heroin Child Addict
Janet Cooke, who falsely claimed a master's degree from the University of Toledo, wrote a profile in 1980 for the Washington Post on an 8-year-old heroin addict. The story went viral and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. Two days after winning, the Post admitted the story had been fabricated and she resigned.