Eager to identify the shooter with Trump’s supposed ultra-right-wing supporters, the Associated Press published a story saying Nikolas Cruz belonged to a local white nationalist movement known as the “Republic of Florida.” As it turns out, that’s not the case at all.
The Daily Caller Reports:
The Associated Press is admitting that they were lied to by a white nationalist who claimed his group was connected to the school shooter in Parkland, Florida.
Jordan Jereb, a member of white nationalist group “Republic of Florida,” claimed on Wednesday that Nikolas Cruz, the shooter that killed 17 people at a Parkland high school, was a member of his group and participated in paramilitary drills with them. The Associated Press ran with Jereb’s claims, leading a number of outlets to publish blurbs of their report.
The AP admitted on Friday night that they were misled by Jereb.
“A white nationalist appears to have lied to The Associated Press and other news organizations when he claimed that Florida school-shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of his obscure group,” the outlet wrote in a follow-up piece. “Law enforcement officials have said they didn’t have any evidence to support the claim that Republic of Florida leader Jordan Jereb made in interviews with several news organizations.”
It’s depressing that the Associated Press, who are supposed to be some sort of “masters” of information for all of America – and basically the entire world at this point – don’t even bother to fact-check before they spread information. This is why it’s so hard to trust ANYONE these days.
