The left-wing nonprofit ProPublica is under new scrutiny after email exchanges related to a recent unpublished article about Defense Secretary candidate Pete Hegseth were made public Thursday.
The media firestorm began with Hegseth's comments earlier this week. Revealed in X ProPublica, which he called a “left-wing hacking group,” planned to publish a “deliberately false report” that Hegseth had not been accepted to West Point in 1999. Attached to the post was a photo of Hegseth's acceptance letter signed by the West Point Superintendent. US Army Lieutenant General Daniel Christman.
ProPublica Editor Jesse Eisinger I replied to the posta West Point spokesperson explained that Hegseth told the outlet twice that he was not applying.
“We reached out,” Eisinger wrote. “Hegseth Spox gave us an acceptance letter. We didn't publish the article. That's journalism.”
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Secretary of Defense candidate Pete Hegseth (left) and West Point Military Academy (right) (Getty)
After intense criticism from conservatives online, some of whom questioned why ProPublica did not press West Point about the inaccurate information and publish an article on that aspect, Eisinger said He made the following post: long x thread Outlining the steps ProPublica took in investigating the article, it claims to be “committed to accuracy” and “intellectually honest,” and asks Hegseth to “respond to all salient facts in the article.” He claimed that he was given a fair opportunity to do so.
Questions about ProPublica's journalistic standards intensified in the immediate aftermath. Daily caller released An email from reporter Justin Elliott contacted Mr. Hegseth's attorney, who gave a one-hour response to Mr. Hegseth's claim that he had never been to West Point, saying, “That's not true. “Why did Mr. Hegseth say he went to West Point?”
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On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, heads to the Russell Building for a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd (R). (Tom Williams)
“How can Mr. Hegseth become Secretary of Defense if he lied about admission to the military's most prestigious military academy?” Elliott asked.
The email sparked the anger of many people on social media, citing both the accusatory tone of the email and the small amount of room for a response to such a serious allegation. He took issue with suggesting the story was already done.
“ProPublica did not contact Pete Hegseth to find out the full story,” said Bonchy, the Red State writer. Posted in X. “They contacted him to claim he was a liar, while, rather than presenting their side, they asked why he 'lied' and what else he 'lied about. I requested a response within an hour to ask if it was true.
“This is not 'journalism'. It's unethical garbage.”
“There was nothing in Jesse's thread of 11 tweets that even suggested that ***this*** was how ProPublica actually approached this story. Taking falsehoods from West Point and telling Hegseth “He has repeatedly claimed and implied that he is a liar, is unfit to be Secretary of Defense, and has only been given an hour to respond,” said journalist Jerry Dunleavy. Posted in X.
“ProPublica Editor-in-Chief asserted that he gave @PeteHegseth a fair opportunity to respond to the West Point article because he is ‘committed to accuracy,’” Trump 2024 Rapid Response Director Greg Price said. said. Posted in X. “According to this rambling email obtained by @reaganreese, they squarely accused him of being a liar and gave him an hour to respond.”
Republican military veterans in Congress are on a mission to certify Hegseth.
West Point cadets are saluted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III as he arrives for the 2021 West Point Graduation Ceremony at Mitchie Stadium. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a ProPublica spokesperson said, “Reporters do their job by asking tough questions of those in power, and that's exactly what happened here. Responsible news organizations only do what they can verify. We won't make it public. That's why we didn't report it.” Do not publish the article after Mr. Hegseth provides documentation correcting West Point's statement. ”
Fox News Digital asked West Point whether any disciplinary action was taken against the staff member who provided false information and why there were no procedures in place to prevent such mistakes.
West Point directed Fox News Digital to quote a previously released statement.
“A review of our records indicates that Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend. Regarding Hegseth's admission to the U.S. Military Academy The false statement was made by the employee on December 10, 2024. Upon reviewing the archived database, the employee found the statement to be false and Hegseth was nominated for the Class of 2003 by West. The Academy has taken this situation seriously and has apologized.''
“It is outrageous that West Point officials would interfere so grossly in the political process and make false claims about a presidential candidate,” Republican Rep. Jim Banks wrote in a letter to West Point this week.
“Even in the unlikely scenario that OPA accidentally made false claims more than once or twice, OPA did not fully verify the information was accurate before sharing it with reporters. This is an act of incompetence that cannot be tolerated.”
This week's ProPublica debate focused on nonprofit organizations. received millions of dollars from liberal foundationshas come under heavy criticism for its coverage of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, with critics calling them “hit pieces.”
Associate Justice Samuel Alito will join other members of the U.S. Supreme Court in posing for a new group portrait in October 2022. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
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“Journalistic investigations into the private dealings of public officials are essential to our democracy,” said Gretchen Reiter, Stand Together's senior vice president of communications. “It applies the same standards to all people, rather than being specific.” Fox News Digital reported on ProPublica's reporting on Thomas last year.
ProPublica's coverage of Alito prompted the judge to write an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, in which Alito wrote, “ProPublica has charged me with two crimes.First, I believe that Paul・They should have withdrawn from issues involving groups related to Singer. , Second, that I was required to list certain items as gifts on my 2008 financial disclosure report, but both charges are invalid.
propublica supported the report He said of Alito, but acknowledged there were “lessons for ProPublica from this experience.”
