LA Times fesses up to misquoting Buttigieg amid social media backlash
A Los Angeles Times report appeared to show 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg taking a shot at President Obama’s presidency. Reporter Evan Halper took to Twitter to explain his mistake and apologize to Buttigieg.
The Internet nearly melted down Sunday when the reliably liberal Los Angeles Times reported that 2020 Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg seemed to take an out-of-character jab at President Obama, but it turns out there was a simple explanation: It was all a mistake.
A story about Buttigieg’s appeal included a line that the mayor of South Bend, Ind., said he thinks “the failures of the Obama era" help explain how we got Trump. The remark took social media by storm but the reporter eventually declared he actually misquoted Buttigieg.
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“My story about @PeteButtigieg ends with him referring to the ‘failures of the Obama era.’ That’s an inaccurate quote — the result of transcribing a noisy recording at a loud rally. His exact words were ‘failures of the old normal,’ L.A. Times reporter Evan Halper wrote.
A Los Angeles Times reporter apologized after misquoting Pete Buttigieg, initially indicating the South Bend Mayor took a shot at President Obama.
“I deeply regret the mistake. When we make errors we own them. This one really hurts because it went viral,” Halper added.
“I deeply regret the mistake. When we make errors we own them. This one really hurts because it went viral."
The digital version of the story has since been corrected.
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Buttigieg took to Twitter himself to commend the reporter for fessing up.
“I appreciate this reporter’s swift and honest correction of a misquote on my views of the Obama presidency. From health care to DADT repeal to the rescue of the auto industry, my appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place,” Buttigieg wrote.
While many political watchdogs praised Halper for coming forward, some were skeptical. Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher even suggested that he wanted to hear the audio for himself because Buttigieg’s team initial defended the quote.
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Buttigieg’s senior communications adviser Lis Smith responded by posting audio and a transcript of the misquoted comments.
It appears the 2020 Democratic hopeful did say “failures of the old normal,” not "failures of the Obama era” after all.
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