ABC Apologizes After Being Caught Deceptively Editing Quote About Sean Spicer

Debra Heine | 10:45 AM on January 25, 2017

White House press secretary Sean Spicer calls on a reporter during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Spicer answered questions about the Dakota Pipeline, infrastructure, jobs and other topics. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

ABC News apologized late Tuesday after being caught deceptively editing a quote from former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer during the Monday night edition of Nightline. ABC edited Fleischer’s words to make it look like he was being more critical of White House press secretary Sean Spicer in the taped interview than he actually was.

Nightline quoted Fleischer as saying, “[Spicer’s] briefing made me uncomfortable. It was too truculent, too tough. It looks as if the ball was dropped on Saturday.” But that is not what Fleischer meant to convey at all. The point he was trying to make was actually complimentary of Spicer.

He posted a series of tweets complaining about ABC’s duplicity Tuesday morning, prompting the network’s apology.

@Nightline proves Spicer right about MSM's dedication to negativity. Here is what I told them in a taped interview: 1/4

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017

"It looks to me if the ball was dropped on Saturday, Sean recovered it and ran for a 1st down on Monday." 2/4

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017

When the press distorts someone's quote and twists their words, we all have a problem. 5/5

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017

If this is how the press reports, Trump is right to go after them. 4/4

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017

ABC issued the following apology Tuesday evening:

Nightline aired a segment Monday night about the first three days of the new administration including Sean Spicer’s statement to the press on Saturday. As part of the report, we interviewed former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. In editing the piece for air, his quote was shortened and as a result his opinions mischaracterized. We are fixing the piece online to include his full quote and context.

We apologize and regret the error.

Has anyone at ABC been reprimanded? Because that wasn’t an innocent error. It was a calculated attempt to put the Trump White House in the worst possible light — which we keep seeing the mainstream media do over and over again.

If they don’t like being called the #FakeNews media, maybe they should stop engaging in #FakeNews tactics? Just a thought.