A post on TIME’s website now includes a note that the story was updated Feb. 13, but there’s no explanation as to what was changed or why.
Still, that’s more that can be said for the tweet from last Thursday promoting the post about Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, a Muslim-American who explained to an interviewer with POPSUGAR that she’d been detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for two hours without explanation.
This tweet is still up despite being 100% wrong. #FakeNews https://t.co/HrmGUGiTjO
— Jason (@jasonelevation) February 13, 2017
Yes, TIME’s original tweet, which is 100 percent wrong and has been retweeted more than 300 times, is still up, and it still blames President Trump’s travel ban for Muhammed’s disheartening experience.
Olympic athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad was detained because of President Trump's travel ban https://t.co/8jOOZIaDzM
— TIME (@TIME) February 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/michi83/status/831272303979851776
It happened before Trump was even president. Come on. This isn't hard.
— Agatha Gregson (@gregson_agatha) February 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/JammieWF/status/831271961737228290
That would be when President Obama was still running the show, correct?
https://twitter.com/Kalogrym/status/831251721057808384
https://twitter.com/MetricButtload/status/831246833468981248
She admitted 2 days ago that she was detained in DECEMBER. Why no correction yet? Do you guys even try to do your job anymore?
— Chris Deutsch (@crdeutsch) February 13, 2017
Admittedly, the roll-out of Trump’s travel ban was both a mess and a public relations nightmare that invited protests and press conferences by political foes at airports across the country … not to mention a legal battle that could reach the Supreme Court.
But one thing Trump’s executive order was most definitely not was in effect last December, when Muhammad was detained — a pertinent detail missing from the interview but clarified in a tweet four days later.
Thanks to all who reached out regarding the December incident at customs. I will continue be a voice for all impacted by profiling & bigotry
— Ibtihaj Muhammad (@IbtihajMuhammad) February 11, 2017
Join me as I persist, educate and advocate for peace & equality #resist
— Ibtihaj Muhammad (@IbtihajMuhammad) February 11, 2017
Presumably that tidbit about “the December incident” is responsible for the stealth update to TIME’s piece two days later. There’s no retraction or apology in the stealth rewrite posted online, but might there be a chance of the fake news tweet coming down, or will it be there for retweeting forever?
#Disproven. Detained in December 2016 by Obama Admin
…more leftwing #FakeNews— These are the times….?? (@therealADWarren) February 13, 2017
planning on pulling this any time soon? Or you just don't care about credibility?
— DG (@7pints) February 13, 2017
delete and retract or just keep on deceiving people?
— Tim Bowers (@TimBowers62) February 13, 2017
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