A reporter for the New York Post has resigned after the outlet published a now-debunked story over the weekend about migrant children being given copies of Vice President Kamala Harris’ book as part of their “welcome kits” at a shelter in Long Beach, Calif.
On Tuesday, journalist Laura Italiano slammed the post in a tweeted a thread and said she was done: “Today I handed in my resignation to my editors at the New York Post.”
She continued by tweeting, “The Kamala Harris story — an incorrect story I was ordered to write and which I failed to push back hard enough against — was my breaking point.”
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The Kamala Harris story — an incorrect story I was ordered to write and which I failed to push back hard enough against — was my breaking point.
— Laura Italiano (@Italiano_Laura) April 27, 2021
After the article was originally published Friday, Fox News, which is owned by the same conservative family that owns the New York Post, shared its own version of the now-deleted article on its platforms.
However, outlets across the country did their own fact-checking and found the story to be false.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday it had confirmed with Long Beach officials that the books were not being given out to children at the center. In addition, city officials said one copy of Vice President Harris’ book was donated during a citywide book donation drive.
The original article by Italiano for the Post has been edited with the following note: “Editor’s note: The original version of this article said migrant kids were getting Harris’ book in a welcome kit, but has been updated to note that only one known copy of the book was donated to a child.”
Below is a copy of the Post’s false headline via Mediaite.
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