CNN quietly edits incorrect Trump story, only adds editor's note after media report
CNN on Sunday incorrectly reported that Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to vote multiple times, then quietly amended its online story when it became apparent the claim was not true.
At the center of the story was a quote from Trump in which he told supporters to vote. Consistent with his exaggerated claims that Democrats are guilty of election fraud, the Republican nominee said "in some places, they [vote] four or five times, but we don't do that."
CNN appeared to misinterpret Trump's quote and reported that Trump encouraged his own supporters to vote several times. The story was later edited to reflect what Trump actually said, but did not include an editor's note.
The website Mediaite, which first noted the stealth edits, captured screen grabs of the original CNN story and tweet:
Only after Mediaite's report did CNN insert an editor's note explaining to readers the changes that were made.
Matt Dornic, vice president of communications at CNN, told Business Insider in an email that "a correction note should have been added immediately."
"Our policy states that corrections must be accompanied by an editor's note disclosing the change," he said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized CNN throughout the election cycle, asserting that its coverage favors his rival, Hillary Clinton, and is biased against him.