AP News is sorry they got everyone worried about World War III.
According to a report from Breitbart News, AP News has officially retracted the story they published stating that a Russian missile had struck territory in Poland, killing two Polish citizens; they’ve also fired the reporter responsible.
Poland is part of NATO which, if the report had been true, would have resulted in severe consequences for Russia and the possibility of escalation in Ukraine.
From Breitbart News:
The story set off a firestorm of concern across social media as people wondered if this would be a Franz Ferdinand-type of event that would plunge the Western world into full-scale war with a nuclear power. One day later, the Associated Press took down the story and issued an editor’s note saying that the unnamed “senior U.S. intelligence official” relayed incorrect information.
“Subsequent reporting showed that the missiles were Russian-made and most likely fired by Ukraine in defense against a Russian attack,” the editor’s note said.
Reporters at The Daily Beast provide even more context to what’s happening behind the scenes:
The piece, which was originally co-bylined with John Leicester (who is still working at the AP), attributed the information to a single “senior U.S. intelligence official,” despite the AP’s rule that it “routinely seeks and requires more than one source when sourcing is anonymous.”
The only exception, according to its statement of news values and principles, is when “material comes from an authoritative figure who provides information so detailed that there is no question of its accuracy”—a situation that seemingly did not occur, as the report was fully retracted last Wednesday.
More over at The Daily Beast:
SCOOP: The @AP has fired reporter Jim LaPorta, one of the two bylines on a retracted report last week alleging Russian missiles landed in NATO member Poland. The report relied a single anonymous source, a violation of AP's policy.
w/@LachCartwright:https://t.co/h5EBwt7TTX
— Corbin Bolies (@CorbinBolies) November 22, 2022
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