Left-wing outlet The Daily Beast issued a substantial correction on Friday regarding its reporting that the owner of Real America’s Voice told them the network was investigating whether an interview with former President Donald Trump was a fake impersonation.
The Daily Beast’s original article claimed that Real America’s Voice Owner Robert J. Sigg said that an investigation was underway into the Trump interview hosted by John Solomon and Amanda Head, and it quoted Sigg as criticizing the staff members, according to an archived version of the article. The liberal outlet issued an editor’s note on Friday that “a spokesperson for Real America’s Voice said that it was not Sigg” who was interviewed.
“This story has been updated to remove quotes attributed to the owner of Real America’s Voice, Robert Sigg, saying he is investigating whether the call was a prank and criticizing network staffers,” the editor’s note states. “A Daily Beast reporter had a conversation by text with a person who identified themselves as Sigg, on a number public records show was once associated with Sigg—but a spokesperson for Real America’s Voice said that it was not Sigg and is not his current number.”
There was online speculation that the Trump phone interview was either with a prankster or AI because of the glitchy connection and voice, according to The Daily Beast. However, Trump posted a clip from the interview on Truth Social, stating that “crooked Joe Biden is the most incompetent President in history, and he’s the most corrupt President in history,” and a member of his campaign confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation the interview was real.
“These are all scurrilous lies in a fake quote that The Daily Beast never received from our network,” a spokesperson for Real America’s Voice told the DCNF. “Ironically, in a story they wrote about RAV being duped, it was The Daily Beast in fact that may have been ‘punked’ into believing they had a qualified quote from us. We have subsequently demanded an immediate retraction from The Daily Beast, requested that they preserve all records related to their ‘reporting’ on this story, and informed them that our legal counsel will be in contact about our next steps in this matter. All options are on the table.”
The story was “false and defamatory” and “concocted from the theater of the absurd,” Solomon posted on Twitter. He stated Sigg’s quotes were not real and asked how long it would take for The Daily Beast to retract the story.
The Daily Beast has been told by Real America’s Voice that its employees did not interview Rob Sigg, the quotes attributed to him are false and there is no investigation. How long before @thedailybeast retracts this false and defamatory story concocted from the theater of the… https://t.co/6qxBgvJqSF
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) September 1, 2023
“This is a major oversight by John and Amanda both,” The Daily Beast had quoted Sigg as saying. “Our news directors will need to go through additional training about journalism practice and how to present the facts and truth to the American people.”
Solomon did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. Head could not be reached for comment.
Jason Cohen on September 1, 2023
