[Above image: Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference]
Donald Trump appears to have gotten under the skin of not only Democrats, but also fellow Republicans and the news media. Has that subjected Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, to unfair and/or inaccurate reporting?
An article in the Washington Post today is headlined, “Trump slams McCain for being ‘captured’ in Vietnam.”
The article’s lead sentence states, “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, on Saturday by saying McCain was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”
Is this report accurate?
In fact, Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence.
Discussion
1. The Post did not provide context at the outset disclosing that McCain and Trump have been feuding, with McCain characterizing some Trump supporters as “crazies” and Trump stating that McCain graduated last in his class in Annapolis. The charged rhetoric continued at the conservative Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa this weekend.
2. When a panelist characterized McCain as a “war hero,” the Post is accurate in reporting that Trump initially said McCain is “not a war hero.” But then, Trump immediately modified his statement saying– four times– that McCain is a war hero:
“He is a war hero.”
“He’s a war hero because he was captured.”
“He’s a war hero, because he was captured.”
“I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”
3. Did Trump say McCain is not a war hero because he was captured? No, not in the exchanges represented in the Post.
4. Is the Post’s characterization an accident? It would appear not, because it is repeated in the Post’s caption of the video clip, which also states: “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam war veteran, was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”
Further, in the Post’s second sentence, Trump is quoted as stating of McCain, “He’s not a war hero…He’s a war hero because he was captured,” but the article selectively left out the phrase Trump had uttered in between: “He is a war hero.”
Conclusion
Trump actually said the opposite of what the Post lead sentence and video caption claim. The Post might have been able to get away stating that Trump “implied” McCain was not a war hero because McCain was captured, but even that would have been a subjective interpretation since Trump had actually stated the opposite.
It’s true that Trump stated one time that McCain is not a war hero. But Trump stated four times that McCain is a war hero–and that was not accurately characterized in the article.
For interpreting and characterizing Trump’s true quote in a way that is at best questionable, and for selectively using some quotes and leaving others out, the Post receives Two Little Devils. (Ratings scale at end of article.)
Obviously, all are free to draw conclusions about any candidate or politician. But the news media has a responsibility to do its best to report accurately and fairly–even when reporters find a candidate and/or his positions to be personally distasteful.
More information
Read the Washington Post article and watch the Donald Trump C-SPAN video excerpt:
Other Fact Checks
https://sharylattkisson.com/fact-check-washington-posts-alyssa-rosenbergs-errors/
https://sharylattkisson.com/fact-check-slate-com-vaccines-autism-claims/
I have just watched Kay Griggs’s interviews. Do you think she’s credible, just someone seeking publicity or another conspiracy theory?
Thank you
Slanting is a form of lying. Lying is what the Forth Estate does.
This is the problem with the word “hero.” McCain has been in my studio more than once. He was pleasant and easy to talk to. Resilient? Yes. Tough? Yes, I think so. An amazing story of survival? Yes. “Hero?” I dunno … The word “hero” is too easily thrown around these days. Whattaya think?
I think all the Trump bashers should look at this video and do some research on the Senators time in the Hanoi Hilton.
https://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2013/06/john-mccain-made-more-than-32-communist-videos-speaking-out-against-the-united-states-2527754.html
I would be grateful if someone in the media (preferably the non-liberal media) could fact check what Mr Trump said about John McCain doing poorly when he attended Annapolis army school.
McCain has been known to tout his performance at the school which would contradict when Trump is now reporting.
The fact check commentary is ridiculous. Trump explicitly said “McCain is not a war hero” using the word ‘not’, before he rethought it as said ok he’s a war hero because he got captured. Both diminishing his status as a war hero, regardless of semantically you want to be about the Post’s article. He also talked about McCain letting the GOP down in 2008 because he did not win the election. Following that up by say he does like losers. Same thing, referencing McCain as a loser – even though he didn’t explicitly say “McCain’s a loser”. It is exactly what he meant to say.
As an American you do have the right to say anything you want, but for someone who has never served a day and who took FIVE deferments from servicing in Vietnam, talking about anyone else’s service at all makes you unqualified at best and incredibly disrespectful and hypocritical at worse.
p.s. Donald, McCain is not running for 2016. You should learn who the other candidates are!
Excellent piece on Trump and the post.
Now you’ll just do one on the corrupt Clinton Foundation
In a subsequent interview with Steven Hayes of The Weekly Standard, Trump doubled-down by saying that McCain was not a war hero. Hayes pressed him several times and he answered No each time.
A lot can be said from both sides, but McCain needs to understand that when he feels free to call his constituents “crazies” and refer to other GOP senators as “whacko Birds,” it kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. Maybe John needs to learn to exercise some judgement before opening his own trap.
This article was linked by Trump’s paid USAToday article, BTW.
What about the actual video where he makes a joke about McCain not being a war hero because he was captured? Found it on youtube.
quick clarification: I am sure that members of the armed forces can distinguish between heroes and those that aren’t among their ranks. While it might not be “polite” for a civilian to say so in public the notion that all members of the military are “heroes” is simply a polite fiction that some perpetrate knowingly and others simply parrot because they are among that mass of people who need the illusion that fiction provides.
Please delete my previous entries awaiting moderation and consider the following instead. Thank you.
Ms. Attkisson,
What a pleasure it is to read a news account that looks at a story with the sort of fine brush that used to be the standard for reporting. I can’t express properly the disappointment and cynicism with which I view the entire news media precisely due to the sort of failures you so competently point out in your fact check. It is surprising to me how hard it is for most people to simply see a thing for what it is. Please keep up the excellent work – hopefully somehow the news media will eventually be shamed into doing their job the way it is supposed to be done.
Though you are precisely and technically correct about what Trump said, it is clear – when tone and audience reaction and Trump’s immediate realization of the effect of his initial “he is not a hero” – that he in fact believes that “hero” status should not be awarded to those who simply serve and manage to get captured.
I admit that it is with no small amount of displeasure that I agree with Trump’s momentarily exposed and then thinly veiled belief – that simply serving or being captured does not accord an individual “hero” status. I believe that words have meanings that should not be “Orwellianized” into meaninglessness or inversion.
The public square is either simple minded or necessarily hypocritical with the knee jerk “hero” appellation to all members of law enforcement and military. The reasons why this is so are well explained in Plato’s Republic, by social science and general human nature.
I am sure that members of the armed forces can distinguish among their own who is and who is not a hero. While it might be a breach of etiquette for a civilian to say so in public the notion that all members of the military are “heroes” is simply a polite fiction that some perpetrate knowingly because of self-interest and others simply parrot because they are among that large mass of people who need the illusion that fiction provides.
Donald Trump is unfit to govern a condo homeowners association much less this large, complex and diverse country. His character, temperament and intellect are far beneath the minimum standard necessary to lead. But this latest impolitic admission is the least of the reasons why.
Why McCain never did a stretch in Federal Prison for the Lincoln Saving and Loan debacle is a testimony to the corruption of Washington D.C.
McCain isn’t really a war hero. He is 3/5 an enemy ace. He lost a US Jet in Training. It took his father – WWII Hero Admiral McCain – to save his career. McCain’s jet was the aircraft that fired the Zuni rocket on the USS Forrestal causing a massive deck fire on the aircraft carrier during the Vietnam campaign; his aircraft was lost in the deck fire. Last, McCain lost his jet to enemy anti-aircraft fire.
McCain has three jet aircraft wrecked, wrecked one aircraft carrier, and was directly involved in the S & L collapse in the late ’80s. With “friends” like McCain who needs enemies? It’s Arizona’s shame this man isn’t in jail.
Ms. Attkisson, What a pleasure to read a news account that looks at a story with the sort of fine brush that used to be the standard for reporting. I can’t express properly the disappointment and now cynicism with which I view the entire news media precisely due to the sort of failures you so competently point out in your fact check. It is surprising how hard it is to simply see a thing for what it is. Please keep up the excellent work – hopefully somehow the news media will eventually be shamed into doing their job the way it is supposed to be done.
With regard to the substance of your article; though you are precisely and technically correct, it is clear that Dump (my abbreviation for the oozing pile of slime that is the subject of your piece) really believes that “hero” status should not be awarded to those who simply serve and manage to get captured.
Without going into the sort of nuance that is really necessary to properly understand this assertion, I will simply say that I agree with him (what I take to be his momentarily exposed and thinly veiled belief) in a general sense on this – to be clear, I do not agree with “McCain is not a hero” but I do agree that “simply serving or being captured does not accord an individual “hero” status.
I think the public square is either simple minded or necessarily hypocritical on the knee jerk “hero” appellation to all members of law enforcement and military. The reasons why this is so are well explained in Plato’s Republic, by social science and general human nature. I am sure that members of the military know the difference between “heros” and their fellows.
If you saw the 1 minute soundbytes, Trump owes an apology…
If you watched the 7 minute or longer clip.. McLame has been trashing Trump for couple weeks. Trump did nothing and let it go… until McLame Called trump’s supporters … CRAZIES.. then TRUMP Lashed out.. standing up for his People, his supporters.
John McCain called Tea Party people (I am one) “whacky birds.” I do not care for John McCain even if he was captured in North Viet Nam.
The issue is not McCain’s Service record. Whatever you think of him in that regard is up to you.
The real problem is a Republican Establishment that is NOT LISTENING! Trump is delivering a populist message that resonates with millions because he talking about doing something constructive to solve some of the most pressing issues of the day. McCain is not doing that, and neither is the rest of the Republican Party. We, The People, gave the Republicans a majority in BOTH HOUSES of Congress, with the mandate to oppose Obama and everything he stands for. Instead of doing that, the Republicans are caving at every opportunity they can so that the Press will “love” them. The Republican Establishment is looking at demographic forecasts and are trying to be “Democrat Lite” in order to sway the growing number of illegals and their Hispanic friends and families already here to consider a vote for the Party of Old Abe. They think the way to do it is to act like the Dems – give everything that walks or talks welfare at tax payers expense – which is not the way to do it. The way is clear: deliver the message that we welcome all immigrants, but they must do it legally. We need to work with our Southern Neighbors and get them to establish training centers that will provide important skills, including English as a second language classes, so that when someone applies to immigrate to the U.S., we are getting people who are skilled and really care about the country, and don’t see it as a way to make a few thousand pesos to send back to the village every year. We need skilled, educated people who care about themselves and their families, not just establishing a presence in the U.S. with anchor babies. I want to here McCain and his cronies talk about that idea.
Trump qualified all his statements about Trump being a war hero, except one where he was interrupted before he could finish so he might have qualified that one.
“perhaps’
“because he was captured”
He did not qualify the statement “he is not a war hero”, but in fairness he was interrupted there.
The WP paraphrase seems OK to me. Trump was questioning his status as a war hero because it was based on the fact he was captured.
There is a concerted effort by Big Media to push Mr Trump off the election stage.
Appreciate hearing an alternative opinion.
McCain is ineffective as a Senator. He let the VA fall into dysfunction.
The bias against Trump by the Establishment Media reminds me how they did Ron Paul.
The two political parties own the White House and Congress. There is some serious angst by the powers that be regarding Trump’s rise in the polls.
The mainstream media supports the corrupt two-party system that perpetuates our dysfunctional domestic and foreign policy. Donald Trump will continue to expose hypocrites and the Media will keep smearing him. Thank you, Sharyl!
Y’know what? Americans need to know that Trump is extremely talented with linguistics. The words he says are not wrong at all … but the way he presents those words cause the media and everyone else to play right into his hands.
Immediately everyone starts attacking and they find out later that they weren’t listening to HIM closely enough and find out they were wrong with their attack and that the media and their own minds have twisted their words to make them hear incorrectly.
THIS alone is how he could build a wall and have Mexico pay the tab. Do y’all get it yet???????
Aw! McCain the man of gang of eight. The fair man who ran a political campaign for the highest office in the land and refused to exploit what he knew about the Communist Obama. No,no, he was a fair man and he knew Obama, the good man would never hurt this great country. And he let the media savage his vice president pick. No, no he would not go on the attack. No,no he was a war hero, a fair man who will vote anyway that will give him power. Him and his useless friend, Lindsay Graham who rides your coat tails, proud of their position, befriending the other side to the detriment of the many out there who think of McCain as the war hero. Oh yes, the war hero. What would have been his fate if he hadn’t been a POW? I know one thing, the country would have better off without him as Senator.