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These major news outlets amplified JD Vance’s lie about Tim Walz’s military service without rebuttal

The New York Times and other top outlets fall for the right’s newest swiftboating campaign

Written by Zachary Pleat

Published

Several major news organizations have already conclusively debunked an attempt by Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and others on the right to smear Democratic vice presidential pick Tim Walz’s 24-year military career. Contrary to Vance's lie, Walz retired from the National Guard to run for Congress, not because his unit was ordered to Iraq months later. Yet The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, and CBS News all either privileged Vance’s attack or gave credence to them in headlines, stories, or social media posts.

Studies have shown that the majority of news consumers read or process only the headlines or social media posts that they come across — and even if they do follow through in reading the article, the misinformation they encounter first might not be overridden by the facts they later read. During the Trump administration, numerous major news organizations persisted in repeating misinformation via their headlines and social media posts.

With the architect of the original Swift Boat attacks from 20 years ago now helming its latest incarnation against Walz, news organizations have a responsibility to lead with the facts rather than regurgitate the right’s lies and smears.

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  • CNN and USA Today debunked the right’s swiftboating smears of Walz’s military service

  • On Tuesday, right-wing media began citing a “paid endorsement letter” from opponents of Walz’s 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign to smear him for retiring from the National Guard to run for Congress in 2005, months before his unit was notified of a deployment to Iraq. They were joined by Vance, who falsely accused Walz of abandoning his unit to dodge a deployment.

    But as CNN initially reported early Wednesday afternoon, Walz “filed papers to run for Congress in February of 2005. He retired from his Guard unit that May. The orders to deploy did not come until two months after that.” CNN correspondent Tom Foreman added: “So the claim that he was somehow dodging going over here after 24 years of service … there’s just no evidence to back that up right now.” Another CNN report noted that it is common for service members to “submit their paperwork for retirement months before their retirement date,” and an NPR fact check reported, “It’s likely that Walz put in for retirement months before that May.”

    Vance’s criticism of Walz’s retirement also rings hollow given his hyperbolic reaction to a CNN anchor noting that Vance was never in combat during his service. Though Vance deployed to Iraq for six months in his four-year stint in the Marines, it was in a “noncombat role,” and he later wrote that he “was lucky to escape any real fighting.”

    USA Today debunked this attack on Wednesday in an article headlined, “The new 'Swift Boat?' Tim Walz's military service targeted by Trump campaign.” (The term “swiftboating” was coined following a campaign of false smears against 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s military service that was run by GOP operative Chris LaCivita, who is now working for the Trump campaign.) USA Today’s article led off with the facts of Walz’s retirement, explaining that “the alert order for Walz's unit to mobilize for Iraq was received on July 14, 2005 − almost two months after Walz had retired − and the unit mobilized Oct. 12, 2005, according to the Minnesota National Guard.” Only then did it specify Vance’s accusations.

  • Other major news outlets privileged Vance’s smears or gave credence to the false notion that Walz’s service record was scandalous

  • Instead of following these examples, The New York Times egregiously privileged Vance’s lie in an article headlined “Vance Attacks Walz’s Military Record, Accusing Him of Avoiding a Tour in Iraq.”

  • Vance Attacks Walz’s Military Record, Accusing Him of Avoiding a Tour in Iraq Senator JD Vance of Ohio also claimed Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota had exaggerated his service record. Mr. Walz said a decision to retire and run for Congress came months before any notice of deployment.

  • A Times post on X, formerly known as Twitter, was a little better as it provided some context. But it presented the accusation as a he said, he said, rather than relying on the established timeline to show that Vance’s accusations are false.

    JD Vance claimed Tim Walz had exaggerated his military service record and quit the Army National Guard to avoid being deployed to Iraq. Walz said a decision to retire and run for Congress came months before any notice of deployment. https://t.co/sAB1V1qnBO

    — The New York Times (@nytimes) August 7, 2024

    The Washington Post, in a headline and two posts on X, presented the attacks on Walz’s record by suggesting that his record is questionable or deserves scrutiny.

  • Tim Walz’s military record, National Guard departure get new scrutiny The Harris-Walz campaign has cited his Army experience as an asset. But Republicans and some who served with him have questioned claims about his service.

  • The Harris-Walz campaign has cited his Army experience as an asset. But Republicans and some who served with him have questioned claims about his service. https://t.co/hhgZn6kbpX

    — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 8, 2024

    Tim Walz’s military record, National Guard departure get new scrutiny https://t.co/XQX9qtrwbf

    — Post Politics (@postpolitics) August 8, 2024

    Two of the major broadcast news networks — CBS and NBC — also either privileged Vance’s lies or presented Walz’s military record as a “potential liability” worthy of “scrutiny” in a headline or social media posts. An article on CBS News’ website followed this pattern, headlined “Tim Walz's military record under scrutiny as he joins Kamala Harris on Democratic ticket.”

  • Politics Tim Walz's military record under scrutiny as he joins Kamala Harris on Democratic ticket

  • Former President Trump’s presidential campaign is homing in on what advisers see as a potential liability for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: his departure two decades ago from the Army National Guard. https://t.co/erjSbTFxbb

    — NBC News (@NBCNews) August 7, 2024

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's military record has come under renewed scrutiny following Vice President Kamala Harris' announcement of Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket. https://t.co/MyPmqx3o2s

    — CBS News (@CBSNews) August 8, 2024

    Tim Walz's military record under scrutiny as he joins Kamala Harris on Democratic ticket https://t.co/iPolGjhErO

    — CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 8, 2024

  • Media critics are calling out these news organizations which are falling for the right’s swiftboating of Walz

  • Former Media Matters senior fellow Jamison Foser wrote on his Finding Gravity blog that “The New York Times helps JD Vance Swiftboat Tim Walz.” Foser clearly explained that the only scandal here is Vance “lying about the military service of a fellow veteran for political gain.”

  • This is an extremely simple situation: JD Vance is lying about the military service of a fellow veteran for political gain. The story is extremely simple, and extremely important — and it is a story about JD Vance being a liar.

    Journalists have a responsibility to tell that story, the story about JD Vance smearing a fellow veteran. Vance and Donald Trump want the story to be about a controversy over Walz’s military service. But that isn't the real story, because there is no controversy. There is the truth — Walz retired before his unit was called up — and there is JD Vance lying. Liars telling lies does not make a controversy; it’s just a guy lying.

    Predictably, Vance and Trump are already getting a helping hand from the news media, which is privileging their lies.

    The New York Times, for example, leads with Vance’s false accusation, not with the truth.

  • Foser further emphasized in a post on X: “When the lede and framing of an article are devoted to re-telling a lie instead of to demonstrating that person telling the lie is a liar, you privilege the lie. You give them what they want, helping their lies drive the conversation. It is not journalism.”

    Brian Beutler, who writes the Off Message blog, similarly stated, “The story is ‘Vance smears Walz’ not ‘Walz faces criticism for blah blah blah.’ Let’s see which campaign reporters get it right and which ones participate in the smear.”

    Press Watch editor Dan Froomkin also called out the Times’ headline, writing: “The story pretty much debunks those ‘claims’ — and that should be reflected in the headline.”