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The Big Lies › 2020 › File PF-0170
Retracted

MSNBC: Bloomberg Could Have Given Every American $1 Million

On MSNBC's The 11th Hour, Brian Williams and Times editorial board member Mara Gay approvingly read a tweet saying Bloomberg's roughly $500 million in ad spending could have given each American $1 million.

First reported Mar 5, 2020 · MSNBC, The New York Times (editorial board member as guest)
Who it helped: Neither party

A numeracy error amplifying a viral anti-billionaire tweet; it served no clear partisan side.

What was reported

On MSNBC's The 11th Hour, Brian Williams and Times editorial board member Mara Gay approvingly read a tweet saying Bloomberg's roughly $500 million in ad spending could have given each American $1 million.

What actually happened

Divided among roughly 327 million Americans, $500 million comes to about $1.53 per person, not $1 million. Williams corrected the figure on air after a commercial break, and the show's official account posted an apology for relying on a tweet with bad math.

The proof

PolitiFact rated the claim Pants on Fire, and the show itself issued an on-air correction and written apology.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

MSNBC: Bloomberg Could Have Given Every American $1 Million — Retracted. PolitiFact rated the claim Pants on Fire, and the show itself issued an on-air correction and written apology. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/msnbc-bloomberg-million-per-american/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

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