Froomkin: Credulous journalists misreport Trump's abortion comments, refuse to correct themselves

https://presswatchers.org/2024/04/credulous-journalists-misreport-trumps-abortion-comments-refuse-to-correct-themselves/

Every day, it seems, we see another example of how not to cover Donald Trump.

Monday’s example was a doozy: almost everybody in the mainstream media completely fell for Trump’s abortion fake-out. They gave him credit for saying something he didn’t actually say – and they treated him like a truth-teller rather than a prodigious liar.

What was even more depressing than usual about Monday’s performance was that it was fixable in real time, after a handful of journalists quickly pointed out the errors of their colleagues. But our elite political media is way too proud to course correct.

Instead, credulous reporters who’d been spoon-fed a narrative by the Trump campaign –- that he was moderating his view on abortion — regurgitated a story that wasn’t credible. And then they stuck to it.

No, Trump did not say that abortion rights should be “left up to the states,” as the New York Times and the Washington Post reported.

No, there was no shift to some sort of more moderate position.

If you actually listened to the video, rather than to the spin, all Trump said was that states are currently deciding abortion policies for themselves – a statement of fact, not intent.

*snip*