This week, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said that the bill President Biden signed earlier today will give stimulus checks to millions of illegal immigrants:
6/x FACT 9: When Durbin said “illegal immigrants don’t have social security numbers,” he was deliberately saying something false, knowing it would be repeated.
FACT 10: Under the bill’s language, MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS will get the $1400 checks.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 7, 2021
A Newsweek fact check initially tagged Cruz’s tweet as “mostly false.” And then the walk back began:
Outstanding job, @Newsweek fact-checker. Not of fact-checking @tedcruz but of eventually fact-checking your fact-check. pic.twitter.com/BWrBGgqyNz
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) March 11, 2021
How it started:
***
“Mostly false” didn’t last for long.
Here’s how it went after that:
This is why so many people roll their eyes at “fact-checking” these days, because all too often their initial instinct is to spin for Democrats rather than deal in facts, but at least they corrected it:
I mean, when you’re a fact checker, and the outlet has to correct your ruling from “mostly false” to “true” shouldn’t you just hang up the gloves? https://t.co/v445lRx7bD
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) March 11, 2021
This would have further ruined the media’s credibility, but it’s already pretty much at rock bottom.
It's not really fact-checking, it's narrative enforcement
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) March 11, 2021
Sen. Cruz made the Democrats aware of Newsweek’s change:
Facts are stubborn things @DickDurbin
Newsweek CONFIRMS that millions of illegal aliens will receive $1400 stimulus checks.
Newsweek REVERSES its earlier “mostly false” ruling, changes it to…TRUE.
Dick, that means what you said on the floor was FALSE. https://t.co/1aUeSxpTul
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 10, 2021
Dick Durbin lie? No way!
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