Writer Reportedly Wouldn't Allow Byline on Biden Story

Reports say NY Post staffers thought the piece was too 'flimsy'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2020 11:30 AM CDT
Reports: Skepticism of NY Post Biden Story Was Internal, Too
A 2012 photo of Hunter Biden.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

The New York Times and New York Magazine are out with stories casting doubt on the credibility of a New York Post piece on Joe and Hunter Biden. The Post, meanwhile, is standing by its story and firing back at critics. The Times reports that skepticism about the story, which alleged that Joe Biden used his clout as VP to boost the business prospects of his son, was widespread within the Post newsroom. It says veteran reporter Bruce Golding wrote most of the story but refused to allow his byline to appear above it. Golding isn't commenting, but New York Magazine quotes an unnamed Post reporter as disparaging the Biden piece. "I think it was very flimsy." The biggest criticism is that the Post didn't thoroughly vet the authenticity of the source of the information: the hard drive of a laptop that Hunter Biden reportedly dropped off at a repair shop.

Both the Times and New York Magazine note that one of the bylines that did appear on the story is that of Emma-Jo Morris, a newcomer to the paper from Fox News whose social media accounts show her posing with bigwigs from the Trump universe, including Steve Bannon and Roger Stone. The other byline was Gabrielle Fonrouge, but the Times says she had little to do with the reporting or writing. The Post, for its part, is out with an editorial accusing newspapers such as the Times of hypocrisy. These critics fault the Post for having used anonymous sources in the Biden piece, when they use such sources all the time in stories critical of President Trump, write the editors. "Desperate for Biden to win, they want to sink the story with innuendo rather than actually report on it," says the editorial. "Don't ask too many questions, and you can dismiss it all as 'unverified.'" (More New York Post stories.)

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