International News Opinons

Newsweek Fires Reporter Who Wrote Inaccurate Story on Trump’s Thanksgiving Day Plans


The Newsweek reporter who wrote an inaccurate story about President Trump’s Thanksgiving Day plans has been fired. The outlet’s original story claimed the president only planned on tweeting and golfing during his holiday break, neglecting to mention his trip to Afghanistan.

Newsweek’s Jessica Kwong, whose Twitter handle identifies her as a political reporter “covering Trump administration and family,” initially published the article Thursday morning, before the president’s trip to Afghanistan was announced publicly. The story’s initial headline was, “How is Trump spending Thanksgiving? Tweeting, golfing and more.”


Dartmouth sorority, fraternity members face charges after death of student, 20, at party
Civil Air Patrol plane crash during Colorado training exercise leaves 2 dead, 1 injured
Officials Vow Justice After American, Five Tourists Killed in Poisoning
Dallas mayor who abandoned Democratic Party says more will follow
Trump taps Texan Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary
Former Police Officer Who Beat Homeless Man at VA Hospital Gets Maximum Possible Sentence
Trump taps Brooke Rollins to lead the Department of Agriculture
Building Super Allegedly Befriends 100-Year-Old Tenant, Gains Power of Attorney for Massive Betrayal
UFC President Dana White Makes Big Political Promise Post-Trump Victory
Teen May Be Charged as an Adult After 13-Year-Old Cheerleader Found Dead in the Woods
Ric Grenell under consideration to be Trump’s point man on Ukraine: report
Steelers Receiver Fights with Opponent During Final Play of Team’s Crushing Loss
​​Ernst burnishes pork-cutting credentials by leading DOGE Senate Caucus
As MSNBC Ratings Crater After Election, Network Gives Rachel Maddow Brutal New Deal: Report
Daniel Penny’s Defense Rests with Huge Courtroom Point About ‘Victim’: Here’s What Cops Would Have Seen Running Neely’s Info


Newsweek investigated the failures that led to the publication of the inaccurate report that President Trump spent Thanksgiving tweeting and golfing rather than visiting troops in Afghanistan,” a Newsweek representative told the Washington Examiner. “The story has been corrected, and the journalist responsible has been terminated. We will continue to review our processes and, if required, take further action.”

See also  Friday night flurry: Trump dumps list of nominees to round out administration

Hours after the president’s trip was announced, Newsweek edited Kwong’s story and added a note at the bottom of it. The beginning of the story now focuses on the president’s trip and his speech to the troops, while the new headline reads, “How is Trump spending Thanksgiving? Tweeting, golfing — and surprising U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”

The note at the end of the story reads, “This story has been substantially updated and edited at 6:17 p.m. EST to reflect the president’s surprise trip to Afghanistan. Additional reporting by James Crowley.”


Dartmouth sorority, fraternity members face charges after death of student, 20, at party
Civil Air Patrol plane crash during Colorado training exercise leaves 2 dead, 1 injured
Officials Vow Justice After American, Five Tourists Killed in Poisoning
Dallas mayor who abandoned Democratic Party says more will follow
Trump taps Texan Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary
Former Police Officer Who Beat Homeless Man at VA Hospital Gets Maximum Possible Sentence
Trump taps Brooke Rollins to lead the Department of Agriculture
Building Super Allegedly Befriends 100-Year-Old Tenant, Gains Power of Attorney for Massive Betrayal
UFC President Dana White Makes Big Political Promise Post-Trump Victory
Teen May Be Charged as an Adult After 13-Year-Old Cheerleader Found Dead in the Woods
Ric Grenell under consideration to be Trump’s point man on Ukraine: report
Steelers Receiver Fights with Opponent During Final Play of Team’s Crushing Loss
​​Ernst burnishes pork-cutting credentials by leading DOGE Senate Caucus
As MSNBC Ratings Crater After Election, Network Gives Rachel Maddow Brutal New Deal: Report
Daniel Penny’s Defense Rests with Huge Courtroom Point About ‘Victim’: Here’s What Cops Would Have Seen Running Neely’s Info

Kwong addressed the update on social media tweeting, “Trump headed to Afghanistan to surprise U.S. troops on Thanksgiving https://newsweek.com/trump-thanksgi… Deleting this tweet because it was written before knowing about the president’s surprise visit to Afghanistan-an honest mistake. Story has already been updated, as shown in the screenshot.”

See also  Ellen DeGeneres leaves US for UK following Trump victory

Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. both weighed in on the story on social media. “Fake news gonna fake!” Trump Jr. said in a tweet with a screen capture of Newsweek’s original headline. The president added, “I thought Newsweek was out of business?”

— —
UPDATE: Kwong put some of the blame for the story on her editor. Read more here.
— —

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter