The JD Vance Couch Hoax and AP's Pulled Fact Check
A viral claim said Vance's memoir described sex with a couch. AP published a fact check on it, then took the fact check down.
The underlying hoax mocked the Republican vice-presidential nominee, and the botched fact check kept it circulating.
What was reported
A viral claim said Vance's memoir described sex with a couch. AP published a fact check on it, then took the fact check down.
What actually happened
The couch claim began as a joke post on X on July 15, 2024, the day Vance was named Trump's running mate. The book contains no such passage. Many outlets covered it as a rumor that was spreading. AP published a fact check headlined 'No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couch,' then removed it about a day later. AP said the piece had not gone through its standard editing process. The removal kept the fabricated rumor in the news.
The proof
The text of Hillbilly Elegy, which has no such passage, and AP's statement that the fact check skipped its standard editing process.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
The JD Vance Couch Hoax and AP's Pulled Fact Check — Retracted. The text of Hillbilly Elegy, which has no such passage, and AP's statement that the fact check skipped its standard editing process. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/ap-jd-vance-couch-fact-check-pulled/
Original reporting
- Daily Dot: AP deletes its JD Vance couch fact checkhttps://dailydot.com/deleted-ap-fact-jd-vance-couch-debunk
- Rolling Stone: What's with the rumor that JD Vance had sex with a couch?https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/jd-vance-couch-sex-rumor-explained-1235068142/
Corrections, findings & records
- Mediaite: AP takes down Vance couch fact check after it bypassed its editing processhttps://www.mediaite.com/news/ap-takes-down-fact-check-of-jd-vance-couch-claim-after-article-by-passed-editing-process
- Salon: AP yanks fact check on false claims about Vancehttps://www.salon.com/2024/07/25/ap-yanks-fact-on-raunchy-but-false-claims-that-jd-vance-had-an-amorous-encounter-with-a-sofa
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: Daily Dot: AP deletes its JD Vance couch fact checkhttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://dailydot.com/deleted-ap-fact-jd-vance-couch-debunk
- Archived copy: Rolling Stone: What's with the rumor that JD Vance had sex with a couch?https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/jd-vance-couch-sex-rumor-explained-1235068142/