The Washington Post published a lengthy editor’s note Friday acknowledging errors in its coverage of a viral incident between high school student Nicholas Sandmann and Native American demonstrator Nathan Phillips in January.
Sandmann, 16, a student at Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky , was at the center of the Post’s coverage of the Jan. 18 incident on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But the incident also involved Sandmann’s fellow students — many, like Sandmann himself, sporting “Make America Great Again” hats — in an apparent confrontation with Phillips. Phillips is seen in the viral video standing face to face with Sandmann while playing his drum, surrounded by the other students.
The Post is facing a $250 million defamation lawsuit from Sandmann, filed in February.
Based on an incomplete recording of the incident, the Post had initially reported that Phillips was prevented by a student in the group from moving past them. The newspaper had also stated Phillips had been taunted by students before the encounter, and that the students were the instigators of the incident.
“Subsequent reporting, a student’s statement and additional video allow for a more complete assessment of what occurred, either contradicting or failing to confirm accounts provided in that story,” the Post’s note states.
The Post acknowledged it erred in stating that Phillips, who served in the U.S. Marines, was a Vietnam War veteran. In a separate correction, the outlet also noted it incorrectly characterized a statement from Covington as an apology instead of a condemnation, and falsely stated that the group of teens involved in the incident could be heard on the video chanting “Build that wall” at Phillips.
In the lawsuit, Sandmann’s lawyers stated: “The Post negligently and recklessly published its False and Defamatory Accusations despite internal inconsistencies in Phillips’ claims as well as material differences in his statements to other outlets published Jan. 19 and 20. The Post negligently and recklessly published its False and Defamatory Accusations in derogation of accepted principles of journalistic ethics, including by failing to use heightened sensitivity when dealing with juveniles.”
