LA Times 'audience engagement editor' engages Twitter audience with unverified McCain story; Update

Editor’s note: This post has been update to reflect that the reporter deleted the tweet.

Jessica Roy is the audience engagement editor for the Los Angeles Times. Here’s what she tweeted out last night regarding Sen. John McCain’s cancer diagnosis:

https://twitter.com/jessica_roy/status/887847253334872065

Update. Roy deleted the tweet above and tweet this apology:

I deleted an earlier tweet because it did not meet my employer's standards for verification and publication. (1/2)

— Jessica Roy ? (@jessica_roy) July 20, 2017

I regret what I wrote and sincerely apologize. (2/2)

— Jessica Roy ? (@jessica_roy) July 20, 2017

Original:

As they say, big if true:

???if they got that in writing that is quite a story.

— Shaya Tayefe Mohajer (@Shaya_in_LA) July 20, 2017

Too bad the evidence is “in a box,” or something:

I asked her if she had it. She moved recently and says it's in a box somewhere, but she'll look.

— Jessica Roy ? (@jessica_roy) July 20, 2017

Unbelievable. But, hey, she certainly engaged her audience:

This is a rather bold claim for a @latimes writer to make in public without presenting any evidence that it's actually true. https://t.co/SfWHOVnUIC

— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) July 20, 2017

7.5K retweets for a completely unverified story https://t.co/0MALqOtujN

— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) July 20, 2017

https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/888054811840663553

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Grateful Calvin

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We have questions, too. Like why would he tell them to move in the first place?

Or more likely, it's true but missing a massive piece of context. Why on earth would moving help a cancer diagnosis?

— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) July 20, 2017

VERY TRUE story: My friend came down with ebola and asked John McCain for help. Instead, McCain laughed and killed his dog. PLZ RETWEET

— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) July 20, 2017

But will anyone at the LA Times fact-check her?

this is the "Audience Engagement Editor" for the LA Times. Is someone fact-checking her? @latimes https://t.co/7qKgWevxTX

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 20, 2017

Nah. In any event, the damage is done:

he can rot https://t.co/wivnb8k5oE

— jules (@thecityofjules) July 20, 2017

Verdict:

I don't believe a word of this https://t.co/1eeVzbs0Rq

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) July 20, 2017

Nope.

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