Sean Davis calls serious BS on AP claiming journo was fired for violating policy on anonymous sources

Sam J. | 10:54 AM on November 22, 2022

If it was truly the AP’s policy to fire reporters for using an anonymous source they’d have no reporters left. Think about it, every big story our pals in the media broke while Trump was in office, from ‘Russia’ to Kavanaugh, was somehow tied to an anonymous source or ‘someone familiar with the situation.’

So, what the Hell, AP?

SCOOP: The @AP has fired reporter Jim LaPorta, one of the two bylines on a retracted report last week alleging Russian missiles landed in NATO member Poland. The report relied a single anonymous source, a violation of AP's policy.

w/@LachCartwright:https://t.co/h5EBwt7TTX

— Corbin Bolies (@CorbinBolies) November 22, 2022

From The Daily Beast:

The Associated Press scared much of the world last Tuesday when it alerted readers that “a senior U.S. intelligence official” said “Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people.”

That report, which was widely cited across the internet and on cable news, was taken offline the following day and replaced with an editor’s note admitting the single source was wrong and that “subsequent reporting showed that the missiles were Russian-made and most likely fired by Ukraine in defense against a Russian attack.”

On Monday, the AP fired James LaPorta, the investigative reporter responsible for that story, Confider has learned.

The piece, which was originally co-bylined with John Leicester (who is still working at the AP), attributed the information to a single “senior U.S. intelligence official,” despite the AP’s rule that it “routinely seeks and requires more than one source when sourcing is anonymous.”

If relying on a “single anonymous source” were actually prohibited at the Associated Press, they wouldn’t have been able publish anything on the Russian collusion hoax, Kavanaugh, Ukraine impeachment, etc.

What’s the real reason he was fired? https://t.co/1r3mLh53nj

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 22, 2022

Yeah, what’s the REAL reason?

Interesting. He did lots of Blue Anon IC asset reporting

— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel) November 22, 2022

asking all the right questions. propagandized state media hasnt needed sources for a long time! who are they kidding?

— RudeAwakening (@mscharle10) November 22, 2022

AP has some ‘splainin’ to do.