[On Media: The Benghazi Trail]
WATCH: ABC’s Benghazi Reporting Unravel.
On May 10, ABC News reported what it characterized as a major “exclusive” on the consulate attacks in Benghazi, Libya.
Claiming to have “obtained” key administration e-mails, the report appeared to illustrate White House and State Department aides editing out references to terrorism in talking points for political reasons. The story seemed to vindicate conservatives, who for months had been screaming about a cover-up.
But when the e-mails in question were released to the public, they differed substantially from those ABC News “exclusively unearthed” in the scoop. Soon after, the truth came out: the reporter, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, was quoting not the actual e-mails, but rather summaries of the e-mails provided by a Republican source.
Despite repeated on-air claims, ABC News had never “obtained” the e-mails, and the damning “quotes” that triggered the “exclusive” turned out to be misleading.
Read more about ABC’s false on-air claims and (lack of) response to the botched Benghazi “exclusive” on Media Matter’s. Help hold the media accountable by telling ABC News to correct its report on the air. Sign Media Matters letter to top ABC News executives: Ben Sherwood, president; Kate O’Brian, senior vice president for news; and Kerry Smith, senior vice president for editorial quality.
