Former WaPo ‘Fact-Checker’ Admits He ‘Screwed Up’ by Dismissing Lab Leak Theory 5 Years Later
Former Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler admitted in a recent interview that he was “completely wrong” to label the COVID-19 lab leak theory as “doubtful” in a 2020 fact-check article. Reflecting on his error, Kessler expressed “infinite regret” but framed it as a common human mistake. His original article downplaying the Wuhan lab leak theory came at a time when the nation was deeply divided over the virus’s origins, with then-President Donald Trump blaming China while much of the media dismissed those claims and promoted the idea of natural transmission from bats.
Kessler acknowledged that his incorrect headline helped shape the public narrative, potentially delaying accountability for China and diverting attention from other figures such as Dr. Anthony fauci. Despite the significant impact of his error-wich contributed to widespread censorship of those questioning the official explanations-Kessler noted that his overall body of work included thousands of fact-checks, suggesting this was an isolated mistake. He admitted ignoring advice from a reporter who co-authored the piece, yet the original headline was never changed, only appended with a cautious note a year later as new evidence emerged supporting the lab leak theory.
Kessler left The Washington Post recently after nearly 30 years, reportedly taking a buyout, and his admission has sparked criticism about media bias and double standards, especially regarding coverage of Trump and China.Critics argue that the media’s initial dismissal of the lab leak theory was politically motivated and has had real consequences for public understanding and policy responses during the pandemic.
Former Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler admitted Thursday that he was “completely wrong” to label the COVID lab leak theory as “doubtful” in 2020, conveniently coming clean five years later after recently leaving the publication.
During an interview with The Editors, Kessler’s 2020 Washington Post fact-check article entitled, “Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful,” was discussed.
“I screwed up… I was completely wrong,” Kessler told editor Ira Stoll. He expressed “infinite regret” and tried to brush it off by saying, “Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect.”
The problem is that when Kessler wrote this headline, the country was tearing itself apart with fear.
As President Donald Trump was rightfully blaming China for the Wuhan lab leak, others in the media were dismissing the president, while sowing doubt and blaming it on transmissions from bats to humans.
The nation lost valuable time by arguing over the origin of the virus, and it hobbled Trump’s ability to lead.
This allowed China to shirk its responsibility a bit longer and delayed Trump’s ability to place the blame where it rightfully belonged. It also took the focus off Dr. Anthony Fauci’s involvement.
That amounts to a huge mistake. It could even be argued it was done on purpose to sabotage Trump and avoid aggression toward Chinese interests. This isn’t something that can simply be apologized away.
Yet Kessler continued his contrition speech all the same.
“When you’ve got a title like ‘the fact checker,’ when you make a mistake, people notice,” he said. “So, you know, you’ve got to own it.”
He even had the gall to say his entire body of work outweighed the error, despite being previously accused of running a “propaganda mill” by the New York Post editorial board.
“I wrote or edited 3,000 fact-checks. Yes, there might be a dozen bad apples there,” Kessler added. “It’s easy and kind of facile to pick at a particular piece and say that defines a person.”
But we’re not talking about a mistake that can be fixed with an editor’s note, or a spelling error that can be tweaked with the click of a button.
This headline drove a narrative that resulted in real life consequences. It helped contribute to mass censorship against any dissenters.
The media drove the narrative on how America should tackle the virus, and what policies would work best, especially in the early weeks and months of the outbreak.
“One of the reporters on the piece came up to me the next day and said, ‘I think you made a real mistake by putting ‘it’s doubtful,’” Kessler confessed. “‘Because I’m uncertain where it stands, and you framed it in a way that made it seem more definitive than what we came up with.’”
He added, “That’s on me. I screwed up. She recently left The Washington Post to go to another place. In my goodbye remarks, I mentioned, this explains why you should always listen to Sarah, because she’s right, and I was completely wrong about this.”
He was referring to Sarah Cahlan, who co-authored the piece.
He admitted that he ignored advice from one of the reporters who wrote the article. And the headline still hasn’t been changed! One year later, a note was added to the 2020 article that still didn’t confirm COVID came from a lab.
Part of the note read, “A year later, the source of the coronavirus is still unknown. But in recent months new evidence has tipped the lab leak theory onto firmer ground.”
Why wasn’t Kessler suspended or punished for such a glaring error? Quite the opposite happened when Kessler was allowed to stay on, and took a buyout less than three weeks ago after working there for almost 30 years, according to the New York Post.
It’s as if the rules don’t apply to members of the media so long as they’re liberal and hate Trump. The double standard is astounding and shows that most of what the media produces is geared toward achieving a political agenda.
They’re the pure embodiment of the old quote, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
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