.
Overview
This page contains detailed case studies in which HuffPost perpetrated one or more of the following acts or omissions:
- It publicized allegations of anti-Muslim hate crimes when there was clearly grounds for suspicion that they were fake. HuffPost gave detailed, front-page coverage to alleged hate crimes against Muslims in America, in cases when it knew there was no supporting evidence, and/or the victim(s) had not filed a police report, or school complaint. And despite the proliferation of well-documented fake hate crimes against Muslims (and its other Favored Groups) in recent years, HuffPost ignored basic journalistic ethics that would dictate that it do a minimal amount of research to flush these out, before reporting on them.
- It did not alert its readers that they’d been deceived. Upon learning that a hate crime it promoted as being legitimate had never happened, was a hoax, or was perpetrated by the alleged victim, HuffPost posted no new headline on its front page that indicated this reality. In doing so, HuffPost deliberately left its readers, and the publications around the world that ran its original story, with the false impression that the story was legitimate.
- It attempted to conceal its deception. It replaced the headline and copy on the original allegation page with new content, that reflected the reality – but made no effort to alert the public that this was the case. In doing so, anyone who searches “Huffington Post” and the content of the story would only find that it appeared to report the story accurately, as a fake hate crime — when documentary evidence shows that it did not.
Through these acts and omissions, and given its claimed 130 million readers around the world, HuffPost:
- Has been, deliberately, maliciously smearing America on the world stage, as a rampantly Islamophobic, bigoted, violent culture, all the way down to first-graders.
- Has continued feeding the false narrative that Muslims are at disproportionately high risk of being victims of hate crimes in America — when it knows, or should know, that in reality, Muslims are the least-likely victims of religiously-motivated hate crimes in America. Further, as our documentation shows, HuffPost has ignored virtually all of the actual, documented hate crimes against Jews, against whom 4-6 times as many hate crimes are perpetrated than against Muslims, despite having similar population sizes in America.
Case studies
(1) March 2016, New York, NY: A Muslim female alleged an Islamophobe slashed her face on a Manhattan street; She later admitted she did it to herself
(2) October 2016, Cary, NC: A Muslim father claimed 7-year-old son endured extended physical assault on school bus, in front of witnesses; School, police investigations found zero evidence it ever took place
(3) November 2016, Ann Arbor, MI: A Muslim female alleged she was physically assaulted by Islamophobe at the University of Michigan; She later admitted she made it up
(4) November 2016, Lafayette, A LA: Muslim female alleged she was physically assaulted by Islamophobes at the University of Louisiana; She later admitted she made it up
(5) November 2016, San Diego, CA: A Muslim female student at San Diego State University reported she was assaulted by two Trump supporters, who also stole her car; Later her story unraveled, and she stopped cooperating with police
(6) November 2016, Charlotte, NC: A North Carolina teacher was accused of “relentless bullying and harassing” a five-year-old Muslim boy; Investigation revealed it never happened
(7) March 2017, Montreal, CA: A bomb threat against was made against Muslim students at a Canadian university; Within 24 hours, police arrested a Muslim immigrant for perpetrating the hoax
(1) March 2016, New York, NY: A Muslim female alleged an Islamophobe slashed her face on a Manhattan street; She later admitted she did it to herself
Summary: On March 31, 2015, a Muslim woman claimed that while walking down a New York City street in her hijab, a white man called her a “terrorist,” then slashed her face with a knife.
HuffPost wrote and rushed an original news story about this incident to near the top of its front page, before 11:00pm that evening:
Muslim Woman Slashed In Face By Man Who Called Her ‘Terrorist’ In NYC, by Peter Andrew Hart, Front Page Editor, The Huffington Post, March 31, 2016. Excerpt:
A Muslim woman walking down a Manhattan street during Thursday’s rush hour was slashed in the face by a man who called her a “terrorist,” police said. The 20-year-old woman, a student at the private postsecondary school Make-up Designory, was taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
The attack left a two-inch laceration on the left side of her face, police told CBS New York. The woman was walking near 65 Broadway, in Manhattan’s Financial District, just before 5 p.m., when a man grabbed her arm, slashed her across her cheek and ran away, police said.
Proof that this was a fake hate crime
Within hours, after police confronted her with surveillance video of the scene of her alleged attack, the woman admitted that she made the story up, and had slashed her own face:
Woman Made Up ‘Terrorist’ Slashing Story, Cut Her Own Face: NYPD; The woman eventually told police that she slashed her own cheek, leaving a two-inch gash on the left side of her face, by John Chandler, NBCNewYork.com, March 31, 2016. Excerpt:
Police said Friday morning that a woman who claimed a stranger slashed her in the face made the whole story up. The 20-year-old woman had previously said that she was walking on a lower Manhattan sidewalk Thursday when she was slashed in the face by stranger who called her a “terrorist.”
But by the end of the day, she told police that she slashed her own cheek, leaving a two-inch gash on the left side of her face. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation Thursday night.
Thanks in part to HuffPost’s rushing this story to near the top of its front page, it was covered by news organizations throughout the world, including the Express-Tribune (Pakistan), Arab-American News, ABC News, The Nation, and many others.
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
HuffPost never published a follow-up headline on its front page, to indicate that this was a fake hate crime. Instead, on April 1, 2016 (the next day), it replaced the original headline it put on the story page, with a completely new headline: “Muslim Woman Lied About Being Slashed In Face And Called ‘Terrorist’ (UPDATE); Police say the woman cut a 2-inch gash in her own face as part of the lie,” at the same URL.
So, instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from April 1-3? Here’s a sampling:
Carrie Underwood’s Bikini Selfie Has Us Blown Away
Kourtney Kardashian Snapchats Scott Disick In Bed With Kendall Jenner
WATCH: Police Chief And His ‘Drug-Sniffing’ Cat Pull Off Epic Prank
Watch An Escalator Malfunction Send Hockey Fans Flying
Kato Kaelin Says Actor’s Portrayal Of Him In O.J. Miniseries Is ‘Incorrect’
Thus, to anyone who only gets their news only from HuffPost’s front page, and may have clicked through read the original, false story, they would have no reason to know that it was another fake Islamophobia “hate crime.” And to anyone who clicks on the link to the original story, it falsely appears that that version was never published — and that the only story HuffPost published concerning this incident revealed that it was an apparent hoax.(2) October 2016, Cary, NC: A Muslim father claimed 7-year-old son endured extended physical assault on school bus, in front of witnesses; School, police investigations found zero evidence it ever took place
Summary: On October 12, 2016, HuffPost broke an in-depth, original story on its front page, in which it alleged that a 7-year-old Muslim boy, Abdul Aziz Usmani, was beaten by his fellow classmates on a school bus to the point where he had a broken arm, and no one did anything to help him:
Islamophobia Just Drove This Boy And His Family Out Of America, by Christopher Mathias, National Reporter, The Huffington Post, October 12, 2016. Excerpt:
“I’m done with the U.S.,” Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani’s wife told him on Friday. Seeing her youngest son, just 7 years old, walk off the school bus bruised and battered that afternoon outside their apartment building in Cary, North Carolina, was the final straw.
Little Abdul Aziz, a first-grader and the youngest child of Usmani and Binish Bhagwanee, was traumatized. He told his parents a classmate had tried to force him to eat food that wasn’t halal. When Abdul Aziz refused, five of his classmates ganged up on him, making fun of his name. They punched him in the face, kicked him in the stomach, and twisted his arm while calling him “Muslim” again and again, Usmani said.
“He wants to be president of the United States of America,” Usmani told The Huffington Post on Tuesday, speaking over Skype from Pakistan. Bhagwanee landed in Islamabad on Monday with their three sons. Usmani has an apartment there, and it’s where they all plan to live now, because America doesn’t feel safe.
This screencap shows that HuffPost positioned the story near the top of its front page — and that to the casual viewer, it left no doubt that the attack on this boy actually happened.
HuffPost’s story essentially hinged on a Facebook post by Abdul’s father, Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, in which he described the incident, showed a picture of Abdul with his arm in a cast, and blamed it on American Islamophobia, and Donald Trump:
Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump. Meet my son Abdul Aziz. He is in grade 1, bullied and beaten by his own classmates in school bus for being a Muslim
The father also said:
“They keep beating him all the way from school to home on the bus,” Usmani also told BuzzFeed, adding that his son was traumatized by the attack and has a sprained arm.
HuffPost took whatever the boy’s father said as the gospel truth, infused it with a barrage of its other “research” into rampant Islamophobia in America, and heavily promoted its story on social media, to the point where it went viral throughout both the Western and Muslim worlds. HuffPost also never bothered to ask whether a police report had been filed (none was filed), and whether there was a a single item of supporting evidence to support the father’s incendiary allegations (there wasn’t).
Due to the elaborate nature of HuffPost’s “exclusive” on this story, and its lack of even the most basic journalistic vetting — especially given the rash of fake hate crimes in recent months — the story went around the world, from numerous Muslim sites in the U.S. and Pakistan, to the notorious BuzzFeed (created by HuffPost co-founder Jonah Peretti), and even to an anti-Muslim site in Tanzania.
There was just one tiny problem with HuffPost’s elaborate story: none of it was true.
Proof that this was a fake hate crime
On October 14, two days of HuffPost published this story, the school district and the local police department released the findings of their investigation: there was no evidence whatsoever to support the allegations, or that this incident ever took place.
Investigators find no evidence Muslim child was attacked on school bus, by T. Keung Hui, The News & Observer (NC), October 14, 2016. Excerpt:
The Wake County school system and the Cary Police Department say they haven’t found evidence that a 7-year-old Muslim student was assaulted by classmates on a school bus last week. […]
School and law enforcement officials say they’ve taken the allegations seriously and don’t tolerate bullying. But they say their investigations don’t confirm an assault even occurred. […]
The Cary Police Department has been investigating the allegations as well.
“At this time, nothing has been found, and no police report has been filed,” Cary Town Manager Sean R. Stegall said in a written statement. […]
“No students who were interviewed witnessed an altercation,” Chadwick said in the letter to Weatherstone families. “The bus driver did not witness an altercation. The child did not report to the bus driver any injury.”
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
In response, HuffPost never published a follow-up headline on its front page, to indicate that this was a hoax. Instead, on October 16 it dishonestly replaced the original headline it put on the story page, with a completely new headline: “N.C. Authorities: No Evidence To Support Father’s Claim Muslim Boy Was Assaulted On Bus (UPDATE).” Further, it inserted a sub-head, that sarcastically gives undeserved credibility to the father: “Oh and by the way, his dad fights terrorism for a living”:
Thus, to anyone who only gets their news only from HuffPost’s front page, and may have clicked through read the original, false story, they would have no reason to know: (a) that it was another fake Islamophobia “hate crime,” or (b) that HuffPost had acted so irresponsibly in not validating even the barest of facts, before publishing something so incendiary, and causing it to go viral throughout the world.
Further, if anyone now does an Internet search with the string, “Huffington Post Abdul Aziz Islamophobia,” it initially appears as if the original story was never published — and that the only story HuffPost published concerning this incident revealed that it was an apparent hoax.
So instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from October 15-17? Here’s a sampling:
These Adorably Needy Cats Offer The Perfect Respite To Trump’s Toxic Campaign
Alec Baldwin Nails It With Another Creepy Trump Impression On ‘SNL’
Beloved Bipedal Bear Named Pedals Believed Killed By Hunter
Kylie Jenner Has Something Important To Say About Her ‘Chunkiness’
4 Blow-Your-Mind Brussels Sprouts Recipes
(3) November 2016, Ann Arbor, MI: A Muslim female alleged she was physically assaulted by Islamophobe at the University of Michigan; She later admitted she made it up
Summary: On November 11, 2016, a female Muslim student at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor reported to police that a man ordered her to take off her hijab, or he would set it on fire. Numerous groups, including CAIR, alleged this was the latest in a chronic string of Islamophobic-driven hate crimes.
HuffPost’s role in publicizing this alleged hate crime: On November 16, HuffPost published on its front page a major, original news story, describing how the university had been mobilized to stand up for this student. As shown below, by January 17, 2017 the story had been shared 69,000 times, meaning, it gained global traction:
An excerpt from the story:
Allies Form A Circle Of Protection Around Muslim Students Praying In Michigan; This is what solidarity looks like, by Carol Kuruvilla, Associate Religion Editor, The Huffington Post, November 16, 2016.
In outright defiance of the rising levels anti-Muslim hate in America, University of Michigan students joined forces on Monday to protect their own.
After hearing that a Muslim student had reportedly been threatened for her faith, hundreds of students and faculty showed up to stand guard around classmates who had gathered in a main square to perform one of Islam’s five daily prayers.
By November 17, this was one of HuffPost’s most-shared stories:
HuffPost also covered this woman’s allegation, and the outpouring of support for her, in two other stories, which it also gave top publicity.
Proof that this was a fake hate crime
On December 21, 2017, local police announced that “investigators discovered she [the student] fabricated the entire story,” and that she could face felony-level criminal charges:
Cops: U-M student lied about man threatening to burn hijab, by Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press, December 22, 2016. Excerpt:
A University of Michigan student who told police in November that a man threatened to set her hijab on fire could face charges after investigators discovered she fabricated the entire story, police announced Wednesday. […]
“Investigators conducted witness interviews and reviewed multiple surveillance videos of the area in question,” the department said. “During the course of the investigation, numerous inconsistencies in the statements provided by the alleged victim were identified. Following a thorough investigation, detectives have determined the incident in question did not occur.”
HuffPost refused to correct the false perception that readers of its three stories about this fake hate crime had acquired
HuffPost never updated its main story page about this matter. This screencap was taken on January 17, 2017 — nearly a month after Ann Arbor police and the FBI determined this was a fake hate crime:
And HuffPost own search engine proves that as of January 17, 2017, it never posted a new story to reveal that this hate crime was a hoax. A search using the string “Ann Arbor Muslim hate crime” shows that it has never published another story about this matter.
In regards to the other two stories in which HuffPost referenced this alleged hate crime, it later simply removed the references to it in them, as if it never occurred.
And as of January 12, 2017, HuffPost’s “Islamophobia” website, which it claims provides in-depth reporting on Islamophobic incidents, still listed this fake hate crime as being legitimate:
So instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from December 22-24? Here is a sampling:
Little Boy Inadvertently Draws NSFW Version Of Santa’s Reindeer
Christmas Cheer Is Unicycle Santa Playing ‘Ode To Joy’ On Flaming Bagpipes
Anthony Bourdain Will Never, Ever Eat At Trump’s New Hotel Restaurants
Life Gets (A Lot) Better When You Stop Giving A F**k
Man Who Robbed Bank In Santa Mask Handed Out Candy Canes First
Thus, to anyone who only gets their news only from HuffPost’s front page, and may have clicked through read the original, false story, they would have no reason to know that it was another fake Islamophobia “hate crime.”
(4) November 2016, Lafayette, LA: A Muslim female alleged she was physically assaulted by Islamophobes at the University of Louisiana; She later admitted she made it up
Summary: On November 9, a Muslim female student at Louisiana University-Lafayette alleged she had been beaten and robbed, because of her faith, by several male Trump supporters. HuffPost hurriedly wrote an original story about it, and rushed to position it near the top of its front page:
And HuffPost assigned a reporter to cover the story as if it had, in fact, occurred. [Note: This stands in sharp contrast to how HuffPost routinely inserts parenthesis around allegations that Israel makes against documented incidents of terrorism. One recent example was how HuffPost put “terrorists” in quotes on November 25, 2016, after Palestinians set nearly 1,000 fires across the Jewish state simultaneously, and Netanyahu identified them for who and what they were.]
Police Probe Attack On College Student Wearing Hijab By Man Wearing Trump Hat In Louisiana, by Carla Herreria, Senior Writer, The Huffington Post, November 10, 2016. Excerpt:
Police are investigating reports that a student wearing a hijab at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was hit with a metal object and robbed while walking to class on Wednesday morning. One of her attackers was wearing a white hat that read “TRUMP,” a University of Louisiana Police Department notice sent to students and obtained by The Huffington Post states.
The student told police that she was on her way to class when a dark sedan approached her and two white men wearing sweatpants left the car, according to the notice. She said the suspects struck her with “something metal,” causing her to fall to the ground. They hit her again while she was on the ground and “made obscene comments” at her, the alert states.
Thanks to HuffPost’s global influence and eagerness to position this story so prominently (despite its knowledge of the rash of previous fake hate crimes against Muslim Americans), it triggered worldwide awareness of this alleged hate crime. A Google search reveals tens of thousands of references to it.
Proof that this was a fake hate crime
Within 24 hours, the student admitted that she’d made the entire story up, and the next day, was criminally charged for filing a false police report.
Lafayette woman faces criminal charges after falsely claiming Trump supporters robbed her, by Amanda McElfresh, WWL.com (LA), November 11, 2016. Excerpt:
A woman will be charged with filing a false report after she admitted to making up a story about two men robbing her near the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. Karl Ratcliff, spokesman for the Lafayette Police Department, confirmed the charge Friday. The woman was previously identified as an 18-year-old UL student. […]
On Thursday afternoon, Lafayette police said the woman admitted that she fabricated the story and that the case was no longer under investigation.
HuffPost never put up another headline to indicate this was a fake hate crime
Responsible news organizations that fell for this hoax posted new stories, with new headlines, that indicated the reality behind this student’s crime (example: RealClearPolitics).
HuffPost’s own search engine, however, proves that it never posted another story about this matter. A search using the string “Louisiana Muslim hijab attack Trump admitted false police report” returns zero results.
HuffPost, did, however, change the headline on the original story page (note same URL) to indicate the reality:
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
As in the Ann Arbor case in 1.1, readers who clicked on HuffPost’s front-page link to this story would have no reason to go back to the story page. If one only gets their news from HuffPost, they would never discover that this was another fake anti-Muslim hate crime. HuffPost decided to just let that false impression stand, to help continue perpetuating the lie of rampant Islamophobia in America — a lie that, in this case, thanks to its efforts, reached all the way to India.
So instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from, November 12-14? Here’s a sampling:
My First Time Sleeping — And Falling In Love — With Another Woman (top of front page)
This Entitled Cat Will Sit Wherever It Damn Wants (top of front page)
Here’s How You Open A Can Of Food Using Only A Spoon
The 14 Characteristics Of A Sexually Confident Woman
It’s Been 2 Days And Dream Renee Kardashian Is Already On Twitter
(5) November 2016, San Diego, CA: A Muslim female student at San Diego State University reported she was assaulted by two Trump supporters, who also stole her car; Later her story unraveled, and she stopped cooperating with police
On November 9, 2016, a Muslim student at SDSU reported to police that she’d been robbed by two male Trump supporters, who made hate comments to her based on her faith, then robbed her and stole her car. HuffPost covered her allegation in a story that it published near the top of its front page:
Muslim Women Across America Face Attacks In The Wake Of Donald Trump’s Win; Just 48 hours after the election, multiple women wearing hijabs have been targeted, by Adam Hamze, Politics Intern, Huffington Post, November 11, 2016. Excerpt:
A woman at San Diego State University alleges that two men robbed her after they made comments about Trump and Muslims.
Proof that this was a fake anti-Muslim hate crime
Police and school officials conducted an intensive investigation to find and prosecute the suspects. Soon, however, the alleged victim’s story began to unravel, and she ultimately decided to stop cooperating altogether with the police.
SDSU Police: No Suspect in Attack on Muslim Student; In the initial report, the victim said two men made comments about President-elect Donald Trump and the Muslim community and then took her purse and backpack, by R. Stickney, NBCSanDiego.com, January 10, 2017. Excerpt:
In the initial report, police said the men took the woman’s car keys and ran off. The student’s vehicle was missing from the parking garage. The student’s report of a stolen vehicle was unfounded since the student forgot where she had parked, SDSU Police Lt. Greg Noll said.
“The remaining portion of the investigation included looking at all surveillance video, re-contacting the victim on several occasions and attempting to verify statements related to the entire case,” Noll said. Although the woman has indicated she was attacked, police have suspended the case because the victim no longer wants to cooperate, Noll said.
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
HuffPost never published a follow-up headline on its front page, to indicate that this was a fake hate crime.
So, instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from January 11-13? Here’s a sampling:
Barack Obama Somehow Manages To Make Even Snorkeling Look Presidential
12 Little-Known Facts About Michelle Obama That Will Make You Love Her Even More
So Now There’s A Picture Of Selena Gomez In A Thong On Instagram
Where In The World Was Sasha Obama Last Night?
History Won’t Forget How Barack Obama Was Treated
(6) November 2016, Charlotte, NC: A North Carolina teacher was accused of “relentless bullying and harassing” a five-year-old Muslim boy; Investigation revealed it never happened
On its Islamophobia website, HuffPost published the following, incendiary allegation of Islamophobic discrimination and physical assault:
Teacher Accused Of Harassing, Assaulting Muslim Student
WHERE: David Cox Road Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina
WHEN: Nov. 16, 2016
In a letter from the Council of American-Islamic Relations to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, staff attorney Maya Sayed wrote that a 5-year-old student had been subject to “relentless bullying and harassment.” According to the letter, a teacher would “routinely single out [the student] from his classmates and require him to carry a heavy backpack throughout the day. The backpack contained a large textbook and headphones, which caused [the student] to develop significant back pain.” Sayed also wrote that the teacher would treat the student “harshly and reportedly called him ‘bad Muslim boy’ on multiple occasions.” Then, on Nov. 16, the teacher allegedly “grabbed” the student “by the neck and began choking him,” leaving the 5-year-old “crying and extremely shaken.” A spokeswoman for the school district said an investigation into the allegations is underway.
Proof that this was a fake anti-Muslim hate crime
School officials and local police conducted an intensive investigation into these allegations. On January 13, 2017, the school district announced the result of its and the local district attorney’s investigation: that these incidents never took place:
Teacher cleared of assault allegations, by WCNC (NC), January 13, 2017. Excerpt:
A local elementary school teacher has been cleared of wrongdoing following allegations of religious-based mistreatment of a student.
Celeste Spears-Ellis, the principal of David Cox Road Elementary School, said in a letter home to parents Friday that the teacher, identified only as Ms. Simpson, will be returning to the classroom after a thorough investigation found the claims to be unfounded. […]
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the findings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Investigation and concluded that “there is no evidence of an assault other than the complainant’s report.”
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
HuffPost’s own search engine proves that it never published a story to reveal that this was a fake anti-Muslim hate crime. A January 23, 2017 search using the string “David Cox Road Elementary School” reveals zero relevant results.
Further, as of January 23, 2017 — ten days after the results of the investigation were announced — HuffPost has still not updated the item on its Islamophobia site:
If one only gets their news from HuffPost, they would never discover that this was another fake anti-Muslim hate crime. HuffPost decided to just let that false impression stand, to help continue perpetuating the lie of rampant Islamophobia in America.
So instead of posting anything on its front page to alert its readers that they had been hoaxed, what kinds of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page in the three days after it knew this was a fake hate crime, from, January 14-16? Here’s a sampling:
The Story Behind A Spooky Photo Of Fish Frozen In Wall Of Ice
Ryan Gosling Was Forced To Watch His Childhood Dance Moves And It Was Adorably Embarrassing
History Won’t Forget How Barack Obama Was Treated (day 4 at top of front page)
SHOCK CLAIM: Author Of ‘Golden Showers’ Dossier Believed FBI Cabal Blocked Trump Investigation
Why People Believe Fake News Even When Faced With The Truth
(7) March 2017, Montreal, CA: A bomb threat against was made against Muslim students at a Canadian university; Within 24 hours, police arrested a Muslim immigrant for perpetrating the hoax
On March 1, 2017, HuffPost published the following on its front page:
An excerpt from HuffPost’s story page, which was posted at 3:47pm on March 1:
Montreal University Buildings Evacuated After Bomb Threats Target Muslim Students; These threats are the latest in a string of anti-Muslim events in Canada, by Antonia Blumberg, The Huffington Post, March 1, 2017, 3:47pm Excerpt:
Multiple buildings were evacuated at a Canadian university on Wednesday after a letter sent to media outlets threatened to detonate bombs targeting Muslim students.
Students and staff at Concordia University in downtown Montreal were asked to immediately leave three campus buildings where the letter claimed bombs would be set off. Classes in these buildings were also cancelled for the remainder of the day.
A group calling itself the Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada (C4) reportedly sent a letter complaining about Muslim students on campus via email to several media outlets, including CBC News. Alleged copies of the note were floating on social media on Wednesday, claiming the attacks weren’t meant to kill, but rather to injure, Muslim students.
Proof that this was a fake anti-Muslim hate crime
At 5:57am on March 2 — fourteen hours and ten minutes after HuffPost published this story — the CBC posted a story that revealed this was a fake anti-Muslim hate crime:
Montreal man charged with terror hoax after bomb threat targeting Muslim university students, by CBC News, March 2, 2017 5:57 AM ET. Excerpt:
Hisham Saadi, 47, has been charged with carrying out a hoax regarding terrorist activity, uttering threats and mischief in connection with the Concordia University bomb threat Wednesday. Saadi appeared in a Montreal courtroom via video link on Thursday afternoon.
He has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment prior to his bail hearing, scheduled for Friday. […]
The operation came a day after three buildings at Concordia’s busy downtown campus were evacuated. A letter saying explosive devices were placed in various areas of the school was sent to a number of Montreal media outlets, including CBC News.
It should be noted that as (a) Saadi is reported by the CBC to be an immigrant from Lebanon, and (b) Hisham is a traditional Arabic Muslim name for males, we contend it is safe to assume that Mr. Saadi is a Muslim.
HuffPost’s complicity in perpetuating the false notion that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime
The following facts demonstrate that HuffPost deliberately allowed its readers to falsely believe that this was an actual anti-Muslim hate crime:
- Sometime before 11:45pm on March 2, however, HuffPost completely removed this story from its front page, and put up no new story, to indicate to its readers that they had been duped.
- As the following screencap shows, a March 3 search using HuffPost’s own search engine using the string, “Hisham Saadi,” returns zero relevant results:
So what sorts of “news” stories did HuffPost decide to put on its front page, in the hours after this was discovered to be another fake anti-Muslim hate crime, instead of anything to indicate to its readers that they’d been duped?
Here is a sampling:
Mothaf**kin’ Mouse On A Mothaf**kin’ Plane Delays Flight For 4 Hours
Don’t Panic. Radio Alerts About Zombie Outbreak Were Fake (Probably)
HELLO ‘WESTWORLD’: Sex Doll Brothel Opens In Barcelona
The Baby Orangutan In This Photo Has A Tragic Backstory
We Never Knew Cockroaches Could Be So Dang Cute
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