Washington Post pulls some stories based on Steele dossier
Fox News contributor Joe Concha on the Washington Post correcting and retracting two stories regarding the Steele dossier.
Axios had harsh words for news outlets who touted the Christopher Steele dossier for years, despite much of the report being uncorroborated.
The Steele dossier, a document funded by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign through law firm Perkins Coie, was comprised by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele in 2017. The dossier provided several salacious rumors involving former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and formed the basis for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants against Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
WASHINGTON POST CORRECTS, REMOVES REPORTING THAT RELIED ON DISCREDITED ANTI-TRUMP STEELE DOSSIER
However, on November 4, federal agents arrested the primary sub-source of the Steele dossier, Ivan Danchenko, as part of Special Counsel John Durham’s investigations. Danchenko was charged with five counts of making false statements to the FBI.
Russian analyst Igor Danchenko arrives at the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse before being arraigned on November 10, 2021 in Alexandria, Virginia. Danchenko has been charged with five counts of making false statements to the FBI regarding the sources of the information he gave the British firm that created the so-called "Steele Dossier," which alleged potential ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
For years, the Steele dossier was heavily promoted by news outlets in an effort to push a Russian collusion narrative involving Trump.
Axios reporter Sara Fischer noted, these same outlets have been reluctant to admit their mistakes.
"It's one of the most egregious journalistic errors in modern history, and the media's response to its own mistakes has so far been tepid," Fischer wrote.
"Outsized coverage of the unvetted document drove a media frenzy at the start of Donald Trump's presidency that helped drive a narrative of collusion between former President Trump and Russia," Fischer added. "It also helped drive an even bigger wedge between former President Trump and the press at the very beginning of his presidency."
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) holds a copy of an intelligence report on the Steele dossier as he delivers an opening statement prior to hearing testimony from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Examining the Inspector General's report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott (Reuters)
The Washington Post is one of the few outlets to address, correct, and remove reporting regarding the Steele dossier from 2017 and 2019.
By contrast, Fischer noted, "CNN and MSNBC did not respond to requests for comment about whether they planned to revisit or correct any of their coverage around the dossier."
Buzzfeed News, which published the Steele dossier in full in 2017, also kept the full document online despite several inaccuracies and questionable allegations. Its article contains a note reading "The allegations are unverified, and the report contains errors."
Former British spy Christopher Steele arrives at the High Court in London, Britain, July 20, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley (REUTERS/John Sibley)
Fischer wrote that Axios was one of the few outlets that did not publish the Steele dossier in full upon its initial reporting. She warned that this "screwup" from media could cause a reckoning among news organizations by the public.
"A reckoning is hitting news organizations for years-old coverage of the 2017 Steele dossier, after the document's primary source was charged with lying to the FBI," Fischer wrote.
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