A reporter resigned from the New York Post after a front page story falsely claimed Vice President Kamala Harris’ children's book was being given to migrant children in immigration facilities.
Based on one photo, the New York Post falsely claimed that Harris’ book, Superheroes Are Everywhere, was being put into “welcome kits” for migrant children who enter the US, and even claimed the facility was breaking the law by doing so.
The outlet took down two stories related to the photo and republished both with editor’s notes on Tuesday (April 27) after the story turned out to be false, but not before Republican officials tweeted about it.
Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Convention, tweeted, “Was Harris paid for these books? Is she profiting from Biden’s border crisis?” Other lawmakers chimed in on the matter, spreading the false story.
What actually happened was that one copy of Harris’ book had been donated to one migrant facility for a children’s library where kids can pick out the books of their choosing to read, according to CNN. None of the books were actually put into kits for children, but somehow one local photographer’s picture of Harris’ book turned into a full false story.
Vice President Harris reportedly said she didn’t know that a copy of her book had been donated to one facility.
According to a report by The Hill, the author whose byline appears on the story resigned from the New York Post, citing that it was her “breaking point.”
“The Kamala Harris story –– an incorrect story I was ordered to write and which I failed to push back hard enough against –– was my breaking point,” Laura Italiano, the reporter tweeted.
According to The New York Times, at least eight reporters have left the New York Post recently.
Photo: Getty Images