NY Daily News & Other Sites Publish False Neo-Nazis Patrolling Sanford Story
It appears that simple fact checking isn't part of the reporting process at the New York Daily News. Even worse, the story that they declined to fact check was about an explosive situation in Sanford, Florida where supposedly neo-nazis were patrolling the streets in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting.
The Daily News finally revised their story but only after being contacted by professor William Jacobson of the Legal Insurrection blog who did the fact checking for them with the Sanford police that they should have done in the first place. Here is the Daily News excerpt below the fold that was published before being forced to revise it by the Legal Insurrection fact check:
The Trayvon Martin case is getting even more heated as armed neo-Nazis are reportedly patrolling the streets of Sanford, Fla.-where the black, unarmed teen was shot and killed.
A representative for the Detroit-based National Socialist movement told the Miami New Times that his group of roughly 10 to 20 volunteers aren’t there to start trouble, but are prepared to protect the “white citizens in the area” in the event of race riots.
So the New York Daily News bases its story on a Miami New Times article which didn't bother to check to find out if neo-nazis were actually patrolling in Sanford which they weren't. Here is the Miami New Times excerpt which the Daily News blindly accepted originally as the gospel truth.
Neo-Nazis are currently conducting heavily armed patrols in and around Sanford, Florida and are "prepared" for violence in the case of a race riot. The patrols are to protect "white citizens in the area who are concerned for their safety" in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting last month, says Commander Jeff Schoep of the National Socialist Movement.
After the Daily News published the false Sanford story, Jacobson of Legal Insurrection finally contacted them and the story was revised...but not before the damage was done since this incendiary false report went viral on the web. Here is the fact check report by Jacobson:
Did anyone bother to contact the Sanford Police? I did, and the Sanford Police deny any indication of Neo-Nazi groups patrolling in Sanford. Here’s the e-mail exchange:
My initial e-mail (which included an embedded link to the Memeorandum thread):
“There are a number of reports in the media that Neo-Nazis are conducting armed patrols in Sanford. Can you confirm or deny whether this is true, and provide any information you have on the subject? If someone is able to get back to me as soon as possible (and before Monday) that would be appreciated, since such rumors are spreading.”
Response from Sanford Joint Information Center:
“At this time the City of Sanford has not confirmed the presence of Neo-Nazis groups.”
My follow up:
“You say “not confirmed.” Is there any indication of such patrols that the Department is aware of?”
Further Response from Sanford Joint Information Center:
“We have no indication of any such patrols at this point in Sanford. The only large gathering was the children and their parents at the Easter egg hunt.”
I can’t say this is the worst example of rumor mongering and irresponsible conduct by bloggers and the mainstream media I have ever seen, but it’s a contender.
For The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Mediaite, and The Daily News to spread such thinly-sourced claims without verification at a time when racial tensions already are high is irresponsible in the extreme.
And I hope that in the future we are spared pious MSM lectures about their "credibility" since this is but the latest example of a blog doing the fact checking they should have done but neglected to do with disastrous results.
- P.J. Gladnick's blog
- Login to post comments















Comments
The media should be tried for
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 1:55pm.
The media should be tried for hate crimes and inciting violence.
Here's another egregious piece
Submitted by bkeyser on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:02pm.
This one from Reuters.
Nice. I see Reuters is sticking with the 'white hispanic' thing.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:32pm.
"As in many cities across America, black mistrust of the police and judicial officials in Sanford runs deep."
Yeah, SoL - and we've been
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:40pm.
Yeah, SoL - and we've been discussing this 'white hispanic' term, and how it will undoubtedly stay in the lexicon of the MSM dictionary - it's a good word for them to use to describe people who must might not fit into their view of 'minorities', or 'people of color', but actually qualify - under the usual rules. So this guy Zimmerman is a 'white hispanic'................and you can be sure that Marco Rubio will be a 'white hispanic', if he starts moving up the charts..............and there will be others.
Of course, we're STILL waiting for them to call Boy Baraka a 'white black'. And, come to think of it......................Reverend Wright, Louis Farahkan, and a few others that I can think of off the top of my head look pretty 'white' to me...............will they be described as 'white blacks' also???
Caucasian
Submitted by CJohnson on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 11:45am.
I can't help adding this hilarious case of 'race baiting' words; a Korean living in USA one day said to me he was afraid to say 'cockasian' because it was racist. He has always thought it was derogatory to Asians.
I saw that article on Yahoo today
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:53pm.
"Sanford has a Racist Past" was the story headline, but it was a side story to the major story about the NBC Producer's soundbite NOT BEING DELIBERATE, as claimed by NBC President Steve Capus. These people in this god-awful Obamaphantic Pee Stream media are absolutely disgusting.
It doesn't matter what the Sanford Police Department says . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:16pm.
. . . the Left knows the Truth.
The generally-conservative NY Daily News is no more interested in fact checking than the NY Times, but it's too late.
The MSM merely plays the old game and reports (imagine the voice of Brian Williams):
"There are reports this evening of heavily-armed neo-Nazis patrolling the streets of Sanford, where black teenager Trayvon Martin was senselessly gunned down by George Zimmerman back in February, sparking a nation-wide outrage. This news comes as other reports of shooting deaths of African-Americans in Tulsa, Oklahoma have struck fear in the African-American community. Is this a white backlash against President Obama? To learn more on this, we turn to two experts on racial profiling and hate crimes. From Sanford, MSNBC host and civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and from our studio in Washington, DC Attorney General Eric Holder. General, reverend, welcome. Let me start with Reverend Sharpton . . .
To expect honest and factual journalism from the Leftist media
Submitted by Rush Fan on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:12pm.
is similar to expecting an untrained dog not to poo on the carpet, or to expect President Obama not to encourage and incite class warfare. Lefties do what they do best. Honesty and integrity are not an option.
We have Black Panthers
Submitted by tcm14 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:17pm.
We have Black Panthers putting a bounty on Zimmrman's head and the media are like, "Nothing to see here." But imaginary neo-Nazis? Now that's national news.
Here is the "Juicy Bit" of the story...........
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 2:59pm.
QUOTE: "A representative for the Detroit-based National Socialist movement told the Miami New Times that his group of roughly 10 to 20 volunteers aren’t there to start trouble, but are prepared to protect the “white citizens in the area” in the event of race riots."
This leads me to believe that this WHOLE STORY is a bunch of bullsh*t and the Obamaphantic Pee Stream media is trying their hardest to indeed incite a race war with blessings from the WH..
This story was published by Reuters 7 hours ago:
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 3:14pm.
http://news.yahoo.com/racist-past-haunts-florida-town-where-trayvon-died...
It is quite obvious to say with certainty that the media is exploiting this tragedy for inciting a race war. Nevermind that altered 911 tape by the goon at NBC; NBC HAS A HISTORY of rushing to the camera with FALSE information (Rachel Maddow with accusing 2 Republicans of having advanced knowledge of the OK City Bombing).
Narrative
Submitted by Lamdog on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 4:00pm.
You must understand a narrative must be followed. You cannot let the such things as facts and facts checking get in the way of the narrative. The ideal with the exception of Miami and Orlando that Florida is a backwater state plays to the narrative of the east-west coast libs. What the east/west coast libs fail to understand Florida backs their law enforcement to the hilt. We let our headbussa bust some heads. Neo Nazi are not that foolish. This is why when we tell our quote unquote great unwash, otherwise known as the Occupy Movement: You gotta go...They go.
True story or not Reverend Al
Submitted by jkwtrading on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 4:46pm.
True story or not Reverend Al was a no show in Sanford. I wonder if he read it? lol..
Did anyone bother to contact
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 6:24pm.
Did anyone bother to contact the Sanford Police? I did, and the Sanford Police deny any indication of Neo-Nazi groups patrolling in Sanford.
See the denial proves there were neo Nazis and teh Sanford police are complicit.
Oddly enough
Submitted by Dave the mailman on Sun, 04/08/2012 - 10:05pm.
The story has been on the Drudge Report all day, too. I am more than a little disappointed in them....
➚Don't you miss Van Lynchmo?
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 11:43am.
I'm sure the image of goose-stepping nazis through Sanford is as ingrained in his memory as that "Zsa Zsa Gabor - Johnny Carson exchange that also never happened.
Trayvon and Tawana
Submitted by berlet98 on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 12:05pm.
Trayvon and Tawana
The mainstream media just love scandals whether they have any basis in fact or not. If those scandals involve race or sex, all the better. If they have both, it’s a bonanza. If they serve to perpetuate racial division, it’s orgasmic!
Scandalous rumors sell papers and entice viewers to tune in and instigate many to use up their copious spare time by taking to the streets and protesting, regardless of whether they understand the issues or not. It’s something to do.
In view of what rumors tend to arouse the demonstrators and cause them to protest, wave placards, and chant mindless slogans, their protests should be classified as expressions of selective indignation since not all terrible reports bother them in the least.
For example, frequent and verifiable news stories of African-Americans brutally attacking and killing Caucasians or blacks murdering their fellow blacks never bring out slews of blacks to march and condemn the violence which is tearing apart the black community as well as the fabric of American society.
I guess there is just so much time for agitators to stage demonstrations and protestors to protest and certain violence doesn’t merit attention from them–or from the national media.
Phony scandals inciting mindless protesting has become one of America’s favorite outdoor sports. The Trayvon Martin affair is the latest divertissement for the protesting class but it is hardly the first example of selective indignation and certainly will not be the last.
The chief problem with African-American upheavals is that they have so often been proven to be outrageous lies.
The jury is still out on the Trayvon Martin affair. Black race-hucksters have already tried, convicted, and sentenced George Zimmerman to death in a rush to publicity but the truth of that tragedy is slowly leaking out that Trayvon Martin was hardly an innocent saint and George Zimmerman is far from a racist demon, despite initial MSM reports to the contrary.
Eyewitnesses have confirmed that Martin assaulted Zimmerman and uttered death threats and he is alleged to have been a low-life, drug-pushing thief and gang-banger.
Both blacks and whites have defended Zimmerman, he is on record as lodging a racism complaint against the same white cops who responded to the scene of the shooting, and ABC and NBC have admitted they intentionally doctored reports and audio tapes to falsely show he is a racist.
The networks never admitted their unethical, biased purpose of sanctifying Martin and crucifying Zimmerman in the interests of political correctness and placating black demagogues.
When the Florida special prosecutor announces the results of her findings, the hucksters will no doubt reject the truth just as they denied the realities in the notorious cases of Tawana Brawley of Wappingers Falls, New York and Crystal Gail Mangum of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Agitation always trumps reality for race-baiters.
In the event Tawana’s racist fabrications have been forgotten, back on November 27th, 1987, 15 year old Tawana simply had to see a former boyfriend, Todd Buxton, then a prisoner in a local jail. As any self-respecting teenage girl would do, she skipped school and took a bus to visit him.
Four days later, Tawana returned and was seen secreting herself in a large green garbage bag. When she was finally “rescued,” her clothing was ripped, torn, burned, and covered with feces and and “KKK,” “NIGGER” and “BITCH” were emblazoned on her chest and torso.
Tawana claimed she had been “abducted by several white men shortly after she got off the bus; the men, one of whom wore a badge, took her to a wooded area and sexually abused her over a period of several days.” Amazingly she was unable to identify any of her attackers who had repeatedly raped and sexually abused her for four days. . . (Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=20883.)
I Think
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 1:25pm.
It is time for news outlets to identify their ideological leanings so we can determine in advance whether or not their reporting is to be taken seriously, or believed at all.
In this case, Miami New Times (D) would have been very helpful in judging their credibility factor. Because, just about everyone, knows that Leftist news organizations are inclined to misreport, misdirect, and, even, lie about events.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Apparently Sean Hannity thinks it's true too ...
Submitted by metaphorsbwithu on Tue, 04/10/2012 - 5:27pm.
Just heard a guest on the Sean Hannity show mention the neo-Nazis in Sanford and apparently Sean hasn't gotten the memo yet either because he didn't dispute it.
I hope someone can someone tip him off so this rumor can be discussed in context.