In a recent opinion editorial by David Strom, published by Hot Air, the author criticizes the investigative journalism site ProPublica for its handling of a story about Pete Hegseth, a nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Strom accuses ProPublica of attempting to smear Hegseth with a false claim that he lied about being admitted to West Point.
According to Strom, ProPublica journalist Justin Elliot had already written the story and gave Hegseth only an hour to respond to the claim. This, Strom argues, is a clear example of the media attempting to trap their targets, making the reporters appear intrepid while painting their subjects as guilty.
Strom writes, "The reason you do not give sources one hour deadlines, except under extremely extenuating circumstances, is that you risk embarrassing yourself by publishing something false, as ProPublica came perilously close to doing." He further criticizes ProPublica for not calling out the source of the false information, suggesting that the source was motivated by partisan politics.
In a surprising turn of events, Hegseth was able to produce his acceptance letter from West Point within the hour, disproving the claim. Strom commends Hegseth for his quick response, stating, "I am blown away that Pete was able to crush the slander before publication."
Strom also criticizes the response of ProPublica's editor to the incident, stating that the editor viewed the situation as a journalism success story. He argues that the real story is that a West Point official misled ProPublica, and that the publication failed to report this.
Strom further criticizes ProPublica for not being interested in stories that contradict their narrative, suggesting that the site is more interested in amplifying the messages of their sources rather than examining their veracity. He also accuses ProPublica of participating in a "pay to play" scheme, where they cover certain stories in exchange for grants from individuals and foundations.
In conclusion, Strom's opinion editorial criticizes ProPublica's journalistic practices, accusing them of attempting to smear Pete Hegseth with false information and failing to hold their sources accountable. He suggests that this incident is indicative of a larger problem in journalism, where reporters are more interested in pushing a narrative than in reporting the truth.
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