Michele Bachmann’s inaccurate statement that “the HPV vaccine is ‘dangerous'” has been called out by “fact-check segments,” but at least three journalists (CNN’s John King and Wolf Blitzer and NBC’s Matt Lauer) didn’t challenge Bachmann on-air when she made the error, Mediaite reported.
While CNN’s Reliable Sources’ host, Howard Kurtz, did criticize the journalists who didn’t call Bachmann out on air, Mediaite slammed journalists who didn’t counter Bachmann’s claim. “These journalists failed their most important function, to act in the public’s interest,” Mediaite reported. While Mediaite seemed to allow some leeway for “an interview to fact-check on the fly,” Kurtz’s light criticism didn’t impress the site.
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