Several Urging Times and Post To Give Back Pulitzers for False Reporting on Russia Collusion
Multiple media personalities, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have suggested that The New York Times and The Washington Post should return the Pulitzer prizes they received for their “deeply sourced” and “relentlessly reported coverage” of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign allegedly colluding with Russia.
In a Sunday letter to congressional leaders, Attorney General William Barr quoted from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which states, “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
Last April, the staffs of The New York Times and The Washington Posts received Pulitzer prizes for national reporting regarding allegations of the Trump campaign working with Moscow to interfere in the 2016 race.
The citation reads: “For deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect’s transition team and his eventual administration.”
Some of the headlines by The Times included: “Trump’s Son Heard of Link To Moscow Before Meeting,” “Undisclosed On Forms, Kushner Met 2 Russians,” and “Unlikely Source Propelled Russian Meddling Inquiry.”
For The Post some were: “Sessions spoke twice to Russian envoy,” “President asked intelligence chiefs to deny collusion,” and “Trump’s actions now a focus of Mueller inquiry.”
Gingrich tweeted on Monday, “Should the New York Times and Washington Post give back the Pulitzer (Prizes) they won for exagerrated and hysterical reporting on President Trump and Russia? It would not be the first time both papers had to return Pulitzers for false reporting.”
Should the New York Times and Washington Post give back the Pulitzer Prtizes they won for exagerrated and hysterical reporting on President Trump and Russia?It would not be the first time both papers had to returnPul;itzers for false reporting.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) March 25, 2019
Fox News contributor and The Federalist senior editor Mollie Hemingway responded to another Twitter user asking whether The Times and The Post received Pulitzers for their Russia collusion reporting.
“Was joking about this just today. yes, the WP and NYT won *PULITZERS* for their supposed stellar reporting on Trump’s treasonous activity with Russia,” Hemingway wrote. “It’s too perfect. PULITZERS. I thought media’s reputation couldn’t go lower than where it was November 2016. Boy was I wrong.”
Donald Trump Jr. replied to Hemingway, tweeting, “They should convert those Pulitzer’s to #fakenews awards. How do you win a reporting award for reporting fake news? There should be a recall. Those Pulitzer’s were earned like Liz Warren’s tenure.”
They should convert those Pulitzer’s to #fakenews awards. How do you win a reporting award for reporting fake news? There should be a recall. Those Pulitzer’s were earned like Liz Warren’s tenure. https://t.co/5Bak6VTQ5G
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 24, 2019
Thousands replied to the tweets by Gingrich, Hemingway, and Trump Jr., with the vast majority appearing to be in agreement that the Pulitzers should be pulled.
One Twitter user suggested the prizes should go to investigative reporter Sara Carter, conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin, and Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton.
Another recommended Fox News’ chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge along with Carter.
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat conceded on Sunday that Mueller’s findings meant a good day for The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald, The Federalist and The Daily Caller’s investigative reporter Chuck Ross.
Greenwald agreed, replying, “While standard liberals outlets obediently said whatever they were told by the CIA & FBI, many reporters at right-wing media outlets which are routinely mocked by super-smart liberals as primitive & propagandistic did relentlessly great digging & reporting. Sorry this is true.”
While standard liberals outlets obediently said whatever they were told by the CIA & FBI, many reporters at right-wing media outlets which are routinely mocked by super-smart liberals as primitive & propagandistic did relentlessly great digging & reporting. Sorry this is true: https://t.co/wbbBMDVe4d
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 24, 2019
In another tweet, Greenwald contended that many in the mainstream media are responsible for public trust being “nonexistent.”
He included an image of MSNBC host Rachael Maddow, who famously said that Americans need to face the fact the Russians are likely controlling Trump.
If you’re just going to let stuff like this go – unexamined, unacknowledged, and unaccounted for – don’t expect anyone to be remotely sympathetic to the fact that public trust in big media is nonexistent and politicians benefit by making journalists their enemies: pic.twitter.com/NRXP8827MD
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 24, 2019
“If you’re just going to let stuff like this go — unexamined, unacknowledged, and unaccounted for — don’t expect anyone to be remotely sympathetic to the fact that public trust in big media is nonexistent and politicians benefit by making journalists their enemies,” wrote Greenwald.
The Republican National Committee released a count on Sunday showing that The Post, The Times, CNN.com and MSNBC.com together published over 8,500 articles covering the special counsel’s investigation — an average of almost 13 articles per day.
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