Writer Laura Italiano resigned from the NY Post after backlash from her made-up story, "KAM ON IN!" The article claimed that copies of Kamala Harris' book, Superheroes Are Everywhere, were part of "welcome kits" paid by taxpayers that were handed out to unaccompanied migrant children who had crossed the border, according to The New York Times. Republicans furiously ate it up, with Senator Tom cotton tweeting, "Now they're forcing taxpayers to buy Kamala Harris's book to give to those illegal immigrants?" (His tweet has since been deleted.)
But, of course, the story was a lie.
From The New York Times:
In fact, no books by Ms. Harris were provided by government officials at the shelter, and the sole copy seen in the photograph that The Post published on its front page had been donated through a neighborhood toy and book drive for the migrant children, local officials told The Washington Post.
Despite these facts, The New York Post initially repeated the falsehoods in a follow-up article falsely claiming that "thousands" of copies of Ms. Harris's book had been distributed at migrant shelters.
The rise and collapse of the tabloid's false accusations about the vice president illustrated the speed at which political misinformation can be weaponized in the modern media environment. The Post later issued brief corrections, but only after its falsehoods had been amplified at face value by leading Republican lawmakers and cable news stars.
Yesterday, Italiano claimed in a tweet that it was "an incorrect story I was ordered to write and which I failed to push back hard enough against –- was my breaking point." And although she was "sad to leave," she handed in her resignation.
Some Twitter reactions.
