N.Y. Post gets caught publishing unsubstantiated false report about migrant children getting ‘thousands’ of Kamala Harris’ book

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A New York Post reporter has quit her job after she claimed her supervisors ordered her to write a false story about a copy of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ book being given to “thousands” of migrant children at shelter — and conservative media helped make the story go viral by spreading a second false story about the Biden administration in less than a week.

The “evidence” provided was a photo, which ran on the front page of the publication, that purported to show “welcome kits” the children received and what appeared to be a copy of Harris’ 2019 book “Heroes are Everywhere.”

That photo notably only showed one copy of the book alongside a backpack and what appear to be toiletries on a cot. The version the Post ran was cropped on a single cot — the original photo, which surfaced later, actually shows several other cots around it which are mostly empty and gives at least the suggestion that the items were laid out just for the photo.

It was accompanied by the headline “Kam on in” and even included a helpful callout bubble “zooming in” on the cover of the book.

It turns out, after some pretty simple reporting, the truth was this: One single copy of the book was apparently donated by one local resident and it wasn’t even immediately clear if the book was ever given to the child (the staged feel of the photo could lead some credence to this theory).

Not only did the Post report on the “horror” of children getting a book that promotes positivity and role models, but it also pushed the issue about if Harris was profiting from the border crisis.

In fairness, Harris likely would have gotten at least some royalties from when whoever donated it paid for it, but since there were no “thousands” of copies being given to kids, any profit sshe made would have been minimal.

However, just like a poorly researched Daily Mail story with false claims that Fox helped go viral about President Joe Biden requiring Americans to cut most red meat out of their diets for the sake of climate change, the damage was done.

While the fuss over the non-existent Bookgate scandal has subsided, there are still those actively spreading the false story.

The Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., just so happens to be a corporate cousin of Fox’s conservative commentary channel that gleefully falsely “reported” Biden is coming after your beef — and played a key role is spreading the false book story.

The post deleted its original story and replaced it with one reading “Kamala isn’t at the southern border — but at least one migrant kid got Veep’s book,” taking a dig at the perceived “scandal” of her not being at the border and making a claim that its own revised story doesn’t even substantiate.

Nowhere in the following story does the Post even attempt to back up its claim that “at least one migrant kid got Veep’s book” much less provide any source, anonymous or otherwise, making that claim.

The new story also drove home the point that Harris hasn’t visited the border at all yet nor held a press conference on the matter.

Laura Italiano, whose byline was on the Post story, announced Tuesday, April 28, 2021, that she had quit her job and allegedly she was ordered to write the story and failed to push back against her editors.

The revised story still carries Italiano’s byline.

Italiano could not be reached by multiple media outlets attempting to clarify how and to what extend she was “forced” to write the story or if she knew it was false at the time of writing it. It’s also unknown if she brought her concerns to management or attempted to verify the claim.

Meanwhile, journalists and social media alike are calling out the hypocrisy of right wing media accusing Harris of profiting from her official position after four years of millions in tax dollars be funneled into Trump Organization resorts when he stayed there.

His properties allegedly charged government agencies such as the Secret Service, inflated rates for room and office space rentals — and even for the use of golf carts while guarding Trump while on his numerous golfing vacations mostly at Trump Organization clubs.

Trump transferred his company into the hands of others upon taking office in 2017, but it was not the blind trust that financial and business experts suggested would have been the best way to separate himself from his company.

Trump also made numerous claims that he would donate all revenue the government spent at Trump Organization businesses to charity, but there’s no evidence he ever did, though he did make a show out of donating his presidential salary to charity each quarter.

Others are pointing out that Trump and GOPs leaders alike have whined about being “canceled” or “censored” by having their books canceled and removed from stores — but apparently that’s OK when the book being surpassed is one authored by a Democrat.