Which is worse, academic sloppiness or fake news? Hard to say, for both present a challenge to a functioning democracy. I've so often documented the outlandish errors that leftist and Islamist academics make about me, I even have a bibliography on the topic. So, here's one about the press.
Step One occurred in August 2017 when PressProgress, a website that calls itself "Canada's most shared source for progressive news and information" and takes pride in its fact-checking prowess, went after Ezra Levant of (the conservative) Rebel Media. Its article, "Rebel Media's Ezra Levant Received Foreign Funding from 'Anti-Muslim' Think Tank," refers to the Middle East Forum as anti-Muslim and other inaccuracies. But never mind that, just note the key passage that vaguely connects MEF to the Koch brothers:
According to the Center for American Progress' report, MEF has previously received millions in funding from foundations bankrolled by wealthy conservatives and GOP donors.
One of Middle East Forum's largest donors is the Donors Capital Fund. CAP describes the fund as financed by a number of wealthy conservatives who are "difficult to trace" and must contribute a minimum of $1 million to join. ...
The UK-based newspaper The Independent also reported in 2013 that Donors Capital had been used by Charles and David Koch to "secretly fund" climate change denial groups.
Step Two occurred in December 2017, when the same PressProgress recapped its August report with a more assertive connection of the Koch brothers to Donor's Capital:
PressProgress is first to report Rebel Media's Ezra Levant received grant money from the Middle East Forum, a US think tank that promotes anti-Muslim views and is bankrolled by a wealthy right-wing donor network linked to prominent Republican donors like the Koch brothers.
Step Three came in February 2018, when Vice magazine, best known for its serial sexual harassment cases, retold PressProgress' big news by directly tying MEF to the Koch brothers:
Rebel has reportedly received grant money from the Middle East Forum, a right-wing think tank tied to the Koch brothers.
For the record: The Middle East Forum has never communicated with the Koch brothers or any organization associated with them. It has never received a penny of Koch brothers' funding. It is no way "tied" to them.
When Vice was informed of this mistake, it did correct the error, to its credit. The passage now reads:
Rebel has reportedly received grant money from the Middle East Forum, which has been identified as "a US think tank that promotes anti-Muslim views and is bankrolled by a wealthy right-wing donor network linked to prominent Republican donors like the Koch brothers."
In the legal business, this is known as the Wire Service Defense. At the bottom of the page runs this addition:
Editor's note: A previous version of this article misquoted a citation about the Middle East Forum and the Koch Brothers. That sentence has been amended.
And yet, now that Vice has unequivocally connected MEF with the Kochs, this falsehood could take hold and grow. The Kochs and we can deny the allegation until we are blue in the face but the malign and careless Left will continue to repeat this falsehood until it becomes an established fact. (March 2, 2018)
