Media top headlines September 14
In media news today, MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle claims unvaccinated people can just work from home, The New York Times gets accused of 'catering to the Bidens' after calling Hunter Biden story 'unsubstantiated,' and Kamala Harris is questioned after announcing steps for 'protecting the vaccinated'
The New York Times quietly scrubbed the word "unsubstantiated" from its report on the Hunter Biden laptop story after facing intense backlash.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) determined on Monday that Twitter was not in violation of election laws when it suppressed the New York Post's explosive reporting about the damning revelations from the laptop of the then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden's son just weeks before the election, most notably the shady business dealings Hunter had while his father served as vice president.
However, the Times offered an inaccurate characterization of the Post's reporting.
NEW YORK TIMES ACCUSED OF 'CATERING TO THE BIDENS' AFTER CALLING HUNTER STORY ‘UNSUBSTANTIATED’
"The Federal Election Commission has dismissed Republican accusations that Twitter violated election laws in October by blocking people from posting links to an unsubstantiated New York Post article about Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son Hunter Biden, in a decision that is likely to set a precedent for future cases involving social media sites and federal campaigns," Times political reporter Shane Goldmacher began his report.
It wasn't until the Times tweeted out its declaration that the Post's reporting was "unsubstantiated" that it caught fire among critics.
As flagged by The Washington Examiner, the Times' report was given a significant facelift hours later with the help of technology reporter Kate Conger, who was added to the byline.
"When Twitter decided briefly last fall to block users from posting links to an article about Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son Hunter, it prompted a conservative outcry that Big Tech was improperly aiding Mr. Biden’s presidential campaign," the report now begins.
Besides an "updated" timestamp of "6:52 p.m. ET," there was no editor's note or correction made noting the small but significant change.
The Times spokesperson told Fox News, "We regularly edit web stories—especially breaking news stories—to refine the story, add new information, additional context or analysis. This story was completely revised to incorporate the news regarding Snapchat."
When asked if the Times regrets calling the Hunter Biden laptop reporting "unsubstantiated," the spokesperson did not comment.
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In addition to Twitter, much of the liberal media suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. CNN's top brass was caught on tape saying "We're not going with" the story, with its star anchor Jake Tapper decrying the claims being made about Joe Biden's son as "too disgusting" to repeat on the air.
While Twitter cracked down on the New York Post, it did not act on the Politico report that cited former intel officials who baselessly claimed that the laptop's contents showed signs of "Russian disinformation."