The Associated Press (AP) recently faced significant backlash after publishing a fact-check that addressed a baseless rumor about J.D. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate. The fact-check, titled “No, J.D. Vance did not have sex with a couch,” was meant to debunk a false claim circulating on social media. The rumor falsely alleged that Vance detailed an explicit act with a couch in his book, Hillbilly Elegy.
The AP’s decision to publish the fact-check was met with widespread criticism. Many questioned the necessity of addressing such an absurd claim, arguing that it only served to give the baseless rumor more visibility. The article, which carried the authoritative “AP Fact Check” label, was criticized for failing to meet the AP’s usual editorial standards.
After facing intense criticism, the AP removed the article, stating that it had not gone through their standard editing process. A spokesperson for the AP explained, “The story, which did not go out on the wire to our customers, didn’t go through our standard editing process. We are looking into how that happened.”
The backlash included criticism from notable figures such as author and journalist Noah Rothman. Rothman condemned the AP for giving the fake claim any attention, tweeting, “Last night, the AP published a ‘fact check’ of utterly unknown nobodies who alleged that J.D. Vance fornicated a couch, not because anyone believed that but because it introduces that nonsense into the bloodstream. Today, it’s gone. So sleazy.”
