ABC Corrects Explosive Michael Flynn Report That Drove Down Stocks
ABC News issued a correction late Friday to its report that former national security adviser Michael Flynn was prepared to testify that Donald Trump told him to reach out to Russian officials during the presidential campaign.
The network amended the story to note that Trump instructed Flynn to do so during the transition after the election — not during the campaign. Flynn was told to discuss working together to defeat the self-described Islamic State militant group in Syria, according to ABC.
The Dow plunged 350 points after the ABC report, and the story was widely picked up by other media. The network initially issued a “clarification” to the story, then later changed it to a more definitive correction.
The difference in the stories is critical in the context of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible Russian collusion during the campaign. An anonymous source cited in the report said that Trump only instructed Flynn and other associates during the campaign to explore ways to “repair relations” with Russia and other regions.
The sharp slide in the stock market came within minutes of an ABC News report that Flynn is prepared to testify that Trump directed him to make contact with Russians. https://t.co/0Muyz3cZfZ pic.twitter.com/PtBgdLY3CC
— CNNMoney (@CNNMoney) December 1, 2017
The original story was presented at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time in an ABC News special report after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Sergei Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the U.S.
The Associated Press and The Washington Post reported that Flynn admitted in his plea that he spoke to the Russians at the direction of Trump transition team officials. One of those officials was Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, sources told CNN.
CORRECTION of ABC News Special Report: Flynn prepared to testify that President-elect Donald Trump directed him to make contact with the Russians *during the transition* -- initially as a way to work together to fight ISIS in Syria, confidant now says. https://t.co/ewrkVZTu2K pic.twitter.com/URLiHf3uSm
— ABC News (@ABC) December 2, 2017
ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross announced a clarification of his story on “World News Tonight” at 6:30 p.m.
Referring to his source, Ross noted: “He said the president had asked Flynn to contact Russia during the campaign. He’s now clarifying that, saying, according to Flynn, candidate Trump asked him during the campaign to find ways to repair relations with Russia and other world hot spots. After the election, the president-elect asked him to contact Russia on issues including working together to fight ISIS.”
ABC tweeted the clarification at 8:30 p.m. The network changed it to a correction just before 11 p.m., after ABC was slammed on social media.
Former White House spokesman Sean Spicer lashed out on Twitter, saying ABC owed the American public an “apology” and not simply a clarification. He called the clarification a “cop out” and “another reason for the decline in trust of the media.”
.@ABC “news” owes it viewers an apology. Calling false reporting a “clarification” is a cop out and just another reason for the decline in trust of the media
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) December 2, 2017
Axios political reporter Jonathan Swan also sharply criticized ABC. “Retract. Correct. Don’t use weasel words to describe” an error, he tweeted.
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
If we want to regain trust in the media we need to admit our mistakes, especially when as consequential as this. Retract. Correct. Don’t use weasel words to describe it. https://t.co/jFIavaQ4yv
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 2, 2017
The CEO and co-founder of Axios called for a “massive correction.”
Astonishing. The story moved markets, set off a media frenzy, suggested worst possible outcome. This is called a massive correction, or retraction, not clarification. https://t.co/uVUamf4jYY
— Jim VandeHei (@JimVandeHei) December 2, 2017
CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy criticized ABC’s foot-dragging on moving from clarification to correction, and emphasized the importance of getting a second source for potentially explosive stories.
A good reminder here on why it is best to get two sources when reporting -- particularly when it is a bombshell report like this.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 2, 2017
Related coverage
Have The Walls Already Closed In On Michael Flynn?
James Comey Basks In The Glow Of Michael Flynn's Downfall
A Timeline Of Michael Flynn's Questionable Interactions With Russia
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.