AP Reporter Fired After Erroneous Claim That Russian Missiles Hit Poland

Remember last week when the media scared the masses with a potential World War III scenario after falsely reporting that Russia filed missiles at Poland?

The Associated Press retracted the fake story just a day later, saying they “reported erroneously,” and that subsequent reporting has revealed that the missiles were “most likely fired by Ukraine.”

This false report was put forth by investigative reporter James LaPorta, who wrote that a “senior U.S. intelligence official” charged that “Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people.”

People erupted in fear all across social media wondering if this reported development would launch the West into a full-scale war with a nuclear power, according to Breitbart News.

Things quickly changed after the Associated Press edited the article, claiming that an anonymous “senior U.S. intelligence official” gave incorrect information.

“Subsequent reporting showed that the missiles were Russian-made and most likely fired by Ukraine in defense against a Russian attack,” read the editor’s note of AP.

Now the Associated Press has fired LaPorta for the incorrect claims, according to the Daily Beast:

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.

The Associated Press reportedly did not answer any questions about their former employee, instead offering a more general statement: “The rigorous editorial standards and practices of The Associated Press are critical to AP’s mission as an independent news organization. To ensure our reporting is accurate, fair and fact-based, we abide by and enforce these standards, including around the use of anonymous sources.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quick to blame Russia for the carnage — the Ukrainian head of state said the explosives that hit Poland are “a Russian missile attack on collective security.”

“This is a very significant escalation,” he insisted. “We must act.”

 

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