Messages Show How Associated Press Decided to Publish Report Claiming Russia Struck Poland

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

The Associated Press published a story claiming Russian missiles struck Poland after an editor decided that a single anonymous source was sufficient, newly published internal messages show.

Reporter James LaPorta said in a Slack chat room that heโ€™d heard from a source, described as a senior American intelligence official, that โ€œRussian missiles crossed into Poland.โ€ LaPorta said his source had been vetted by Ron Nixon, an Associated Press vice president.

Lisa Leff, an editor, asked if the wire service could run with the narrative despite only having a single source.

โ€œThat call is above my pay grade,โ€ LaPorta said.

Vanessa Gera, an Associated Press reporter, said that she supported sending out an alert, writing, โ€œI canโ€™t imagine a US intelligence official would be wrong on this.โ€

Leff asked Zeina Karam, another editor, what she thought. โ€œYes should be ok I see source vetted by @rnixon.โ€

โ€œSending alert, barring no objections,โ€ Leff said.

The Associated Press was the first outlet to report that Russian missiles struck Poland on Nov. 15. The outlet later retracted the report after information emerged pointing to the missile actually being fired by Ukraine, and fired LaPorta, one of the reporters whose name was on the byline.

Semafor obtained and published the internal messages. The Associated Press did not dispute their authenticity.

LaPorta, Gera, and Nixon did not respond to requests for comment. Leff and Karam could not be reached.

In the immediate aftermath of the report being published, some officials floated the attack triggering obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance.

LaPorta told colleagues: โ€œWonder if this triggers Article 5?โ€

Article 5 says that an attack against any one member of the alliance is considered an attack against all allies. The United States is part of the organization.

โ€œMy thoughts exactly,โ€ another Associated Press employee wrote. Their name was redacted.

Anonymous Source Standards

News outlets deal with anonymous sources differently. At the Associated Press, the outlet says reporters can only cite anonymous sources if the material is information, rather than opinion or speculation, and is vital to the report.

By Zachary Stieber

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

How The Big Beautiful Bill Will Keep Louisiana’s Energy Industry Strong

Renewable or not, our federal govt should not be rigging the deck against any energy sources, especially nuclear power that is both clean and consistent.

On Declaring War, Congress De Facto Amended the Constitution

Congress has de facto amended the Constitution by 55 years of refusing to debate matters of war and peace.

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Tampon Tim Walz Fails the Test

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Nip/tucking the latest social engineering fisted...

AI is Now an Existential Threat

We now see evidence that artificial intelligence is an existential threat to our future. It is coming to take American jobs!

Supreme Court Curbs Nationwide Injunctions, Handing Trump a Major Victory

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal district judges can no longer issue nationwide injunctions, delivering a victory for Trump and his admin.

FBI Says Itโ€™s Uncovered โ€˜Largest Health Care Fraudโ€™ in American History

FBI and DOJ said $15 billion in losses was reported in โ€œlargest health care fraudโ€ investigation in U.S. history. Officials charged more than 300 people.

Trump Admin Finds Harvard Violated Civil Rights Over Alleged Anti-Semitism

A second investigation by the Dept of Health and Human Services is the latest action in a long dispute between Trump and Americaโ€™s oldest university, Harvard.

AOC โ€“ Acting On Cue

It is easy to dislike Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), also known as Sandy Cortez, because she is fraudulent and not to smart.

โ€˜I wanted to do something to fight backโ€™: This iPhone app alerts users to nearby ICE sightings

Joshua Aaron's app, ICEBlock, is designed to let users alert people nearby to sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in area.

Canada-US Trade Talks Will End Until โ€˜Certain Taxesโ€™ Are Dropped, Trump Stresses

Trade discussions between Canada and the United States will end โ€œuntil such time as they drop certain taxes,โ€ U.S. President Trump said in an interview.

Trump Says US to Send Tariff Letters to Trade Partners Before July 9 Deadline

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will soon send letters to trading partners detailing the tariffs to be imposed on their exports to the United States.

Trump Says He Found a Buyer for TikTok

President Trump said he found a buyer for the Chinese-owned short video application TikTok, and that he will reveal the group in roughly two weeks.

Termination of โ€˜Wasteful Contractsโ€™ Saves US Government $470 Million Last Week: DOGE

Over the past seven days, various government agencies have terminated 312 โ€œwasteful contractsโ€ with a ceiling value of $2.8 billion, the DOGE said.
spot_img

Related Articles