Earlier today, the White House expressed its gratitude for a decision made by The Daily Caller.
Seriously.
The conservative news outlet founded by Tucker Carlson retracted a story mistakenly implying the Biden administration banned “religious symbols” and “overtly religious themes” at an Easter egg art contest.
The story promptly went viral. Among those who retweeted the now-retracted piece was the third-ranking House Republican, Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer.
“It's important to acknowledge when a mistake has been made and take responsibility for it. So I want to recognize The Daily Caller for having the integrity to retract their story about the false claims that circulated this week about the Easter Egg Roll,” Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesday's White House press briefing.
“We hope others learn from their good example. So, leave that there,” Jean-Pierre added. (RELATED: Biden Gets An Earful From Fox News After Embarrassing Vietnam Presser)
The disproven story was also prominently featured on Fox News' homepage. Fox did not appear to cover the White House press secretary's remarks or note that the rule on religious-theme designs at the Easter egg contest has been in place for 47 years. (RELATED: PETA Aims To Amend Longstanding White House Easter Tradition)
The Hill's Brett Samuels continues:
But White House officials pointed out that the ban of religious symbols on eggs as part of the art contest has been in place for decades, including during the Trump administration.
“With that additional context included, the news value of the article was significantly diminished, leading the senior leadership at the Caller to the decision to retract,” the Caller wrote in its retraction.
Conservatives had also blasted Biden for proclaiming Transgender Day of Visibility on the same day as Easter.
Transgender Day of Visibility always falls on March 31, since it was first recognized 15 years ago. Easter, which can fall on any Sunday from late-March to mid-April, happened to fall on the same day this year.
The full retraction notice by The Caller reads:
Following the publication of this article, the Daily Caller became aware of additional context that undercut the central assertion of this article and its newsworthiness. The ban of religious symbolism on eggs as part of the White House Easter egg activities has been longstanding, dating back decades, and the Biden administration did not make any modifications to this rule. While the Caller did not explicitly state at any point that the rule was new, this additional context rendered the main thrust of the article misleading to readers, who could reasonably have come to the conclusion that the rule was new.
With that additional context included, the news value of the article was significantly diminished, leading the senior leadership at the Caller to the decision to retract. We sincerely regret the error and are taking the necessary steps to ensure similar mistakes can be avoided in the future.
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