Saturday, October 31, 2026Every claim sourced. Every source linked.
The record of what the American press got wrong, and who it helped
By outlet

MSNBC

9 files on the record. 9 helped Democrats, 0 helped Republicans, 0 helped neither.

9 helped Democrats (100%)Democrats 100%
Debunked

Border Patrol agents "whipping" Haitian migrants in Del Rio

Photos and video of mounted Border Patrol agents confronting Haitian migrants near Del Rio, Texas, were widely described as agents whipping or using whips on migrants.

Sep 20, 2021 · Axios, The New York Times, HuffPost
Helped: Democrats
Retracted

Ivermectin overdoses said to leave Oklahoma gunshot victims waiting

Rolling Stone, building on a KFOR interview with an Oklahoma ER doctor, ran a headline saying gunshot victims were left waiting because horse-dewormer overdoses were overwhelming Oklahoma hospitals.

Sep 3, 2021 · Rolling Stone, The Guardian, KFOR
Helped: Democrats
Debunked

Kyle Rittenhouse said to have crossed state lines with his rifle

Coverage of the August 2020 Kenosha shootings repeatedly said Rittenhouse had brought or carried his rifle from Illinois into Wisconsin, a detail used to suggest he arrived armed for a fight.

Aug 26, 2020 · CBS News (Face the Nation), MSNBC
Helped: Democrats
Retracted

O'Donnell: Russian Oligarchs Co-Signed Trump's Loans

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell said on air and on Twitter that a single source told him Trump's Deutsche Bank loan documents showed Russian oligarchs as co-signers.

Aug 27, 2019 · MSNBC
Helped: Democrats
Double Standard

MSNBC's Benen on two grieving parents at the conventions

On the Maddow Show blog, Steve Benen wrote that the Republican convention exploited the grief of Pat Smith, whose son died in the Benghazi attack, for political gain. Ten days later he wrote that Khizr Khan's Democratic convention speech about his son, a soldier killed in Iraq, would be remembered for a long time.

Jul 19, 2016 · MSNBC (now MS NOW)
Helped: Democrats
Debunked

MSNBC: Sandy Hook Father 'Heckled by Gun Nuts'

MSNBC posted a video titled to say a grieving Sandy Hook father was heckled by 'gun nuts' at a Connecticut gun-control hearing; local coverage also said he was heckled.

Jan 29, 2013 · MSNBC, Connecticut Post
Helped: Democrats
Debunked

MSNBC's Clipped Romney 'Wawa' Moment

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell aired a short clip of Mitt Romney marveling at a Wawa touchscreen ordering kiosk and likened it to George H.W. Bush's 1992 supermarket-scanner gaffe, implying Romney was out of touch with ordinary technology.

Jun 18, 2012 · MSNBC
Helped: Democrats
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