Buzzfeed’s decision to publish ‘dirty dossier’ slammed as suicidal – as it emerges at least SEVEN publications rejected ‘unverifiable’ Trump report
Criticism has been levelled at the site after it revealed the details in the report
BUZZFEED's decision to publish an "unverified" report alleging Donald Trump took part in a sordid sex act with prostitutes has been labelled "suicidal".
The criticism has been levelled at the site after it broke the story and all the details contained in the report despite at least seven other news outlets turning it down.
The online news outlet posted the dossier along with the warning that it contained errors and claims that were "unverified and potentially unverifiable".
It claimed Trump watched prostitutes engage in degrading sex in a Moscow hotel room and that Russia could use this information to blackmail the President-elect.
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An article on titled "Why the media's Trump dossier coverage is suicidal" described media as "lowering their ethical and professional standards and indulging in attention-seeking hysteria".
And John Podhoretz, writing in the , said what Buzzfeed had done was "so beyond the bounds of what is remotely acceptable it should compel even those most outraged by Trump's political excesses to come to his defence".
So far The Guardian, the BBC, The New York Times, NBC and Associated Press have all said they were aware of the allegations but did not publish because they could not verify the allegations.
And prior to the Buzzfeed report, both CNN and website Mother Jones had posted articles alluding to its existence but refrained from revealing details because they could not be verified.
Since its publication, Buzzfeed editor Ben Smith released a statement insisting that the site published the material so "Americans could make up their own minds about the allegations".
He defended the site’s decision stating that "publishing this dossier reflects how we see the job of reporters in 2017’ and added that he had “serious reason to doubt the allegations".
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