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More than a year ago, all mainstream outlets and Big Tech conspired against The New York Post, a historic media outlet with millions of readers, for publishing information that, for the time, was uncomfortable. The Post was targeted for revealing the alleged corruption of Hunter Biden, the son of the then-Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, thanks to access to his missing laptop. The Post was then accused of disinformation and of inventing the existence of the laptop.
Now that The New York Times has confirmed that the laptop does exist, everyone who attacked the Post at the time (including the Times itself) has gone quiet.
It’s outrageous. Even Twitter suspended The New York Post and prevented it from promoting its article, for allegedly being disinformation. It’s shameful because there was no need for another publication to come along and give the Post the thumbs up for us to say, “Oh, yeah, maybe it was true.” The New York Post article was robust and well-researched; yet, because of its impertinence, it was censored and ignored.
Who is apologizing to The New York Post? I read the New York Times article, in which it acknowledges the existence of the laptop and, therefore, the veracity of the Post story. However, I have not yet read the paper’s Editorial acknowledging its mistake, apologizing to its readers, apologizing to The New York Post, and calling out those who then censored the story.
I think we are at great risk when the media can do as it pleases and readers and audiences simply turn the page. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Gerard Baker says, “The deeper shame here is the lack of accountability across American institutions. No one who colluded in this conspiracy against truth has even been inconvenienced by it.” I couldn’t agree more.
Orlando Avendaño is the co-editor-in-chief of El American. He is a Venezuelan journalist and has studies in the History of Venezuela. He is the author of the book Days of submission // Orlando Avendaño es el co-editor en Jefe de El American. Es periodista venezolano y cuenta con estudios en Historia de Venezuela. Es autor del libro Días de sumisión.