Editing New York Post (section)

=== Hunter Biden laptop story ===
{{further|Hunter Biden laptop controversy}}
On October 14, 2020, three weeks before the [[2020 United States presidential election]], the ''Post'' published a front-page story purporting to reveal "smoking gun" emails recovered from a [[laptop]] abandoned by [[Hunter Biden]] at a computer repair store in [[Wilmington, Delaware]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last1=Morris|first1=Emma-Jo|last2=Fonrouge|first2=Gabrielle|date=October 14, 2020|title=Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad|url=https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad/|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-date=October 14, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201014112018/https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad/|url-status=live}}</ref> The only sources named in the story were Trump personal attorney [[Rudy Giuliani]] and strategy advisor [[Steve Bannon]].<ref name=":2" /> The story came under heavy criticism from other news sources and anonymous reporters at the ''Post'' itself for "flimsy" reporting, including questions about the reliability of its sourcing and the lack of outreach to either Hunter Biden or the [[Joe Biden]] campaign for pre-publication comment.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Benveniste|first=Alexis|date=October 18, 2020|title=The anatomy of the New York Post's dubious Hunter Biden story|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/18/media/new-york-post-hunter-biden-reliable/index.html|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[CNN]]|archive-date=January 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114133836/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/18/media/new-york-post-hunter-biden-reliable/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sterne|first=Peter|date=October 18, 2020|title=New York Post Insiders Slag 'Very Flimsy' Hunter Biden Stories|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/10/new-york-post-insiders-slag-flimsy-hunter-biden-stories.html|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York Intelligencer]]|language=en-us|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008124217/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/10/new-york-post-insiders-slag-flimsy-hunter-biden-stories.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 

In October 2020, over fifty former U.S. intelligence officials signed an open letter stating that they were "deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role" in the story, but emphasized that "we do not know if the emails{{nbsp}}... are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bertrand|first=Natasha|date=October 19, 2020|title=Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[Politico]]|language=en|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020034222/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Sommer|first1=Will|last2=Ackerman|first2=Spencer|date=October 19, 2020|title=FBI Examining Hunter's Laptop As Foreign Op, Contradicting Trump's Intel Czar|language=en|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-examining-hunter-bidens-laptop-as-foreign-op-contradicting-john-ratcliffe-trumps-intel-czar|access-date=October 20, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121060313/https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-examining-hunter-bidens-laptop-as-foreign-op-contradicting-john-ratcliffe-trumps-intel-czar|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Director of National Intelligence]] [[John Ratcliffe (American politician)|John Ratcliffe]] said during a [[Fox News]] interview that "the intelligence community doesn't believe that [the emails originated from Russian disinformation] because there is no intelligence that supports that." Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, had previously made public assertions that contradicted professional intelligence assessments.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Swanson|first=Ian|date=October 19, 2020|title=Ratcliffe, Schiff battle over Biden emails, politicized intelligence|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/521712-ratcliffe-schiff-battle-over-biden-emails-politicized-intelligence|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022204342/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/521712-ratcliffe-schiff-battle-over-biden-emails-politicized-intelligence|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=John Ratcliffe Pledged to Stay Apolitical. Then He Began Serving Trump's Political Agenda. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/us/politics/john-ratcliffe-intelligence.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 9, 2020 |author1=Julian E. Barnes |author2=Adam Goldman |access-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401035756/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/us/politics/john-ratcliffe-intelligence.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] took possession of the laptop in late 2019 and reported that they had "nothing to add" to Ratcliffe's remarks concerning Russian disinformation.<ref name="Goldman">{{Cite news|last=Goldman|first=Adam|date=October 22, 2020|title=What We Know and Don't About Hunter Biden and a Laptop|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/hunter-biden-laptop.html|access-date=October 23, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023000934/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/hunter-biden-laptop.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported days after the ''Post'' story that "no concrete evidence has emerged that the laptop contains Russian disinformation." 

Amid mounting pressure, the FBI wrote to U.S. Senator [[Ron Johnson]], suggesting it had not found any Russian disinformation on the laptop. It was unclear what [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] officials knew about the FBI investigation at the time.<ref name="Goldman" /> [[Fox News]] reported that the laptop was seized as part of an investigation into money laundering, but did not make clear if the investigation involved Hunter Biden.<ref name="Singman">{{Cite web|last=Singman|first=Brooke|date=October 21, 2020|title=Laptop connected to Hunter Biden linked to FBI money laundering probe|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/laptop-hunter-biden-linked-fbi-money-laundering-probe|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=[[Fox News]]|language=en-US|archive-date=January 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114134338/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/laptop-hunter-biden-linked-fbi-money-laundering-probe|url-status=live}}</ref> 

On December 9, 2020, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that investigators had initially examined possible money laundering by Hunter Biden but did not find evidence to justify further investigation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/us/politics/hunter-biden-tax-investigation.html|title=Hunter Biden Discloses He Is Focus of Federal Tax Inquiry|first1=Adam|last1=Goldman|first2=Katie|last2=Benner|first3=Kenneth P.|last3=Vogel|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 10, 2020|access-date=February 18, 2021|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215004026/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/us/politics/hunter-biden-tax-investigation.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 election]], social media companies were criticized for allowing false political information to proliferate on their platforms, including from Russian intelligence, suggesting it may have assisted Trump's election.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prokop |first=Andrew |date=March 25, 2022 |title=The return of Hunter Biden's laptop |url=https://www.vox.com/22992772/hunter-biden-laptop |access-date=March 28, 2022 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |language=en |quote=Meanwhile, social media companies were facing their own second-guessing about the 2016 election from outside critics and their own employees. Many argued that misinformation spreading unchecked (or algorithmically assisted) on these platforms, some circulated by Russia, helped Trump win. So they, like many journalists, hoped to do things differently should a similar situation arise in 2020. |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327135904/https://www.vox.com/22992772/hunter-biden-laptop |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]] initially limited the spread of the 2020 ''Post'' story on their platforms, citing supposed policies restricting the sharing of hacked material and personal information; Twitter also temporarily suspended the ''Post''{{'s}} account. This decision proved controversial, with many critics, including Republican senator [[Ted Cruz]], deriding it as censorship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Paul|first=Kari|date=October 15, 2020|title=Facebook and Twitter restrict controversial New York Post story on Joe Biden|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/14/facebook-twitter-new-york-post-hunter-biden|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[The Guardian]]|language=en|archive-date=January 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114134345/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/14/facebook-twitter-new-york-post-hunter-biden|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|title=Facebook And Twitter Limit Sharing 'New York Post' Story About Joe Biden|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/14/923766097/facebook-and-twitter-limit-sharing-new-york-post-story-about-joe-biden|access-date=October 23, 2020|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=October 14, 2020|language=en|last1=Bond|first1=Shannon|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022234452/https://www.npr.org/2020/10/14/923766097/facebook-and-twitter-limit-sharing-new-york-post-story-about-joe-biden|url-status=live}}</ref> NPR reported that Twitter initially declined to comment how it reached this decision or what evidence it had supporting this.<ref name=":3" /> ''The New York Times'' initially reported that the story had been pitched to other outlets, including Fox News, which declined to publish it due to concerns over its reliability.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Robertson|first=Katie|date=October 18, 2020|title=New York Post Published Hunter Biden Report Amid Newsroom Doubts|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/business/media/new-york-post-hunter-biden.html|access-date=October 20, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018214403/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/business/media/new-york-post-hunter-biden.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Times'' also reported that two writers at the ''Post'' declined to have their names attached to the story, and ultimately the story only listed two bylines, Gabrielle Fonrouge, who "had little to do with the reporting or writing of the article" and was unaware of her byline prior to the story's publication, and Emma-Jo Morris, a former producer for [[Fox News]]'s ''[[Hannity]]'' who had no prior bylines with the ''Post''. 

In response to the concerns about the veracity of the article, retired ''Post'' editor-in-chief and current advisor [[Col Allan]] responded in an email to the ''New York Times'' that  "the senior editors at ''The Post'' made the decision to publish the Biden files after several days' hard work established its merit." Giuliani said he gave the story to the ''Post'' because "either nobody else would take it, or if they took it, they would spend all the time they could to try to contradict it before they put it out."<ref name=":1" /> The accuracy of the Hunter Biden laptop story resulted in increased scrutiny of Twitter and Facebook limiting the spread of the story by conservatives, who argued that their actions "proves Big Tech's bias".<ref name=":23"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Hunter Biden laptop confirmation proves Big Tech's bias |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/hunter-biden-laptop-confirmation-confirms-big-techs-bias |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Washington Examiner |language=en |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612090708/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/hunter-biden-laptop-confirmation-confirms-big-techs-bias |url-status=live }}</ref>

On October 30, 2020, [[NBC News]] reported, "no evidence has emerged that the documents are the product of Russian disinformation, as some experts initially suggested, but many questions remain about how the materials got into the hands of Trump's lawyer [[Rudy Giuliani]], who had met with Russian agents in his effort to dig up dirt on Biden."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Here's why the media isn't reporting on the Hunter Biden emails|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/here-s-what-happened-when-nbc-news-tried-report-alleged-n1245533|access-date=November 6, 2020|website=[[NBC News]]|date=October 30, 2020|language=en|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031002927/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/here-s-what-happened-when-nbc-news-tried-report-alleged-n1245533|url-status=live}}</ref> 

On March 15, 2021, [[CNN]] reported that Giuliani and other Trump allies met with Ukrainian lawmaker [[Andrii Derkach]], who the U.S. government later assessed was a longtime Russian intelligence agent, sanctioning him for distributing disinformation about Joe Biden.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen and Katelyn Polantz|title=US intelligence report says Russia used Trump allies to influence 2020 election with goal of 'denigrating' Biden|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/politics/us-election-intel-report/index.html|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=[[CNN]]|date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319003036/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/politics/us-election-intel-report/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 27, 2022, ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'' reported that no evidence had emerged "that the laptop's leak was a Russian plot."<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Prokop |first=Andrew |date=March 25, 2022 |title=The return of Hunter Biden's laptop |url=https://www.vox.com/22992772/hunter-biden-laptop |access-date=March 28, 2022 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |language=en |quote=no evidence has emerged to back up suspicions from former intelligence officials, backed by Biden himself, that the laptop's leak was a Russian plot. |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327135904/https://www.vox.com/22992772/hunter-biden-laptop |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2022, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Washington Post'' confirmed that some of the emails were authentic.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Benner |first1=Katie |last2=Vogel |first2=Kenneth P. |last3=Schmidt |first3=Michael S. |date=March 16, 2022 |title=Hunter Biden Paid Tax Bill, but Broad Federal Investigation Continues |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/us/politics/hunter-biden-tax-bill-investigation.html |access-date=March 19, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323221959/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/us/politics/hunter-biden-tax-bill-investigation.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":12"/><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Timberg |first1=Craig |last2=Viser |first2=Matt |last3=Hamburger |first3=Tom |date=March 30, 2022 |title=Here's how The Post analyzed Hunter Biden's laptop |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/ |access-date=March 31, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331011754/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2022, the editorial board of ''The Washington Post'' wrote the Biden laptop story provided "an opportunity for a reckoning" by American media to ensure "accurate and relevant" stories are covered. They noted that:

{{blockquote|The investigation adds new details and confirms old ones about the ways in which Joe Biden's family has profited from trading overseas on his name—something for which the president deserves criticism for tacitly condoning. What it does not do, despite some conservatives' insistence otherwise, is prove that President Biden acted corruptly.<ref name="Board_4/3/2022">{{cite news |author=Editorial Board |date=April 3, 2022 |title=The Hunter Biden story is an opportunity for a reckoning |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/03/hunter-biden-story-is-an-opportunity-reckoning/ |access-date=May 22, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415193417/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/03/hunter-biden-story-is-an-opportunity-reckoning/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

On April 28, 2022, [[Joan Donovan]], the research director of the [[Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy]] at [[Harvard University]], said that "This is arguably the most well-known story the ''New York Post'' has ever published and it endures as a story because it was initially suppressed by social media companies and jeered by politicians and pundits alike".<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Tiffany |first=Kaitlyn |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Why Hunter Biden's Laptop Will Never Go Away |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/04/tech-companies-suppressed-biden-laptop/629680/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711205452/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/04/tech-companies-suppressed-biden-laptop/629680/ |url-status=live }}</ref>