What a week for USA Today. Fact-checker Daniel Funke said it was “misleading” to say that President Biden checked his watch at the dignified transfer ceremony for 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. A correction was added to the fact-check saying that Biden indeed had checked his watch several times, changing USA Today’s rating from “partly false” to “missing context.”
Funke was not the one who wrote up this fact-check this week, but he did tweet it.
Fact check: Pentagon says it did not abandon military service dogs in Kabul https://t.co/fnNKFgED9D via @mrbrownsir + @SadeghiMckenzie
— Daniel Funke (@dpfunke) September 1, 2021
Wouldn’t it be a fact-check to say either yes or no, military service dogs were left in Kabul? Because “the Pentagon says there weren’t” doesn’t really sound like a fact-check.
"Fact check": "Pentagon says"#journalism #pravda https://t.co/QzRj08jYBS
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) September 3, 2021
“Pentagon says” is not how one determines something to be a fact. https://t.co/AKZaTFNe5P
— Steph (@Steph93065In21) September 3, 2021
Your job as a fact-checker is to confirm if what they said is true or false, not to parrot what they said to your listeners. https://t.co/h0nYL0JtnD
— Vasoconstricted (@uchchris) September 3, 2021
"Fact Check: Here's What The Government Told Us." https://t.co/YxGiqZx8NI
— CavemanSynthesizer (@PithyJoe) September 3, 2021
Uh…that's not how fact checks work. https://t.co/H0FB0hyX7n
— Joseph Ashby (@JosephAshbyShow) September 3, 2021
You realize a "fact check" is supposed to involve CHECKING FACTS and not just asking for a comment from the same organization that is being accused, right?
Also, we know for a fact they abandoned American citizens. You think we can trust their comment on the fucking dogs? https://t.co/SD0y99eFS2 pic.twitter.com/tnMPza00jb
— Douglas MechArthur (@Kicksbuttson) September 3, 2021
This fact-check was specific to that one photo of dogs in carriers pictured in front of U.S. helicopters. The Pentagon said those weren’t American service dogs. We’d fact-checked this earlier this week:
The military’s dogs got out. The contractor working dogs were left behind in those cages.
— Andrew D Brooks🇺🇸🏳️🌈✝️ (@andrewdbrooks) August 31, 2021
They rated the dog story false because the dogs aren't technically military service dogs and are instead contractor service dogs.
The absolute state of this publication. https://t.co/8tkAP5puJ6
— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) September 3, 2021
Don't believe your lying eyes. The dogs don't exist because they're the wrong kind of dogs.
— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) September 3, 2021
Good good thing they limited their replies so no one could fact check the fact checkers
— Bronco (@Bnaumanon) September 3, 2021
Funke has a thing about limiting replies to his tweets.
You know how I know this is 100% truthful and not lies? Replies are disabled. https://t.co/WF1W5TZTHQ
— Juan Delgado (@BurritoHunting) September 3, 2021
So there is a difference between military and contractor service dogs? Come on guys… BS distinction.
— Amy Noelle (@NoelleTMD) September 3, 2021
Working dogs were left in Afghanistan. This spin is nauseating.
— Ernest of Borgnine (@ACK2069) September 3, 2021
It doesn't matter what the dog's job is, why did they abandon them?
— Elana V (@ElanaVital3) September 3, 2021
Taliban commander contradicts what the Pentagon said. Confirms Dogs were left behind and told RT journalist off camera, they would try to use the dogs and out them back to work https://t.co/Js6WtFU61u pic.twitter.com/Mx2bMqm75v
— Veteran For Trump (@Veteran4Trump) September 3, 2021
Pay no attention to the video evidence showing the service dogs there with the Taliban… https://t.co/pRb0PWMqFe
— Dave Q. 🇺🇸 (@DQuesada) September 3, 2021
Ask the Pentagon simple questions for simpletons….is there a dog that was in American possession that is now in Afghanistan? F-ing lawyers. https://t.co/1WwITASVW8
— Stark (@Foldedspace) September 3, 2021
This guy is worse than @GlennKesslerWP https://t.co/H9VPLzhmin
— Dog guy (@Catsorange1) September 4, 2021
Fact check: true
Maniacal leftist partisans employ any means possible (including outright lying) to cover for the ineptness and evil of their feeble, lying, incompetent president. https://t.co/yCGH5zoiCc
— Sanguine Agnostic (@BundaBoy123) September 3, 2021
USA Today reports:
Meanwhile, on social media, users shared an image of dogs in cages in front of a helicopter, alongside captions suggesting the animals pictured were abandoned by the U.S.
“Picture of service dogs left in Afghanistan,” reads an Aug. 30 Facebook photo with more than 1,000 shares. “Left at the airport. Our government sucks.”
Our government sucks. Fact-check: True.
Related:
The Pentagon says no U.S. service dogs were left in Afghanistan, but that doesn't really explain things https://t.co/zqhqo4gRSY
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 31, 2021
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