The fight between Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and President-elect Trump is a good reminder for reporters never, ever to take an elected official at his word, even if he’s a civil rights icon.
As the old journalism bromide goes: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
So when John Lewis tells you he hasn’t skipped a presidential inauguration in three decades, you better “check it out,” because that’s an easily verifiable claim.
Unfortunately, some reporters took Lewis at his word, which is now a bit embarrassing because the congressman has definitely skipped an inauguration before.
The Georgia lawmaker said this weekend that he will not attend Trump’s inauguration, explaining that he does not believe the Queens businessman is a “legitimate president.”
Lewis emphasized the seriousness of his decision by claiming (falsely) that this would be the first inauguration he has missed since winning his seat in 1986.
“It will be the first one that I miss since I’ve been in Congress,” he said. “You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right.”
In covering this Lewis’ inauguration protest, several newsrooms unquestioningly repeated his claim.
From Business Insider: “Civil-rights icon John Lewis said he will skip the inauguration ceremony for moral reasons. It will the first time he will miss an inauguration since 1986.”
From the Huffington Post: “It’s particularly notable that Lewis, a civil rights icon, won’t be there. He’s hasn’t missed a presidential inauguration since he came to Congress in 1986.”
Again, from the Huffington Post: “It will be the first one he’s missed since he was elected to Congress in 1986.”
From Roll Call: “The inauguration, set for Friday Jan. 20, will be the first Lewis will miss since he came to Congress in 1986.”
From the L.A. Times: “Lewis said he would not attend Trump’s inauguration next week – the first presidential inauguration he would skip since he was elected to Congress in 1986.”
From CNN: “Lewis — an ally of Martin Luther King Jr. who was brutally beaten by police in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 while marching for civil rights — also said he planned to skip Trump’s inauguration next week, which he said would be the first ceremony he would not attend since coming to Washington. He was elected to Congress in 1986.”
From Market Watch: “Lewis, first elected to a House seat from Georgia in 1986, said Trump’s inauguration would be the first he would not attend in the three decades since.”
From the New York Times: “Mr. Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, said he planned to boycott the inauguration, the first he will skip in three decades.
From CBS News: “On missing the ceremony – the first in three decades that Lewis will not be present for – the Georgia Democrat told NBC…”
None of these passages are accurate.
Lewis skipped George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2001. The congressman even used the exact same line of reasoning, claiming at the time that Bush was an illegitimate president who stole the election from former Vice President Al Gore.
Of the above newsrooms that failed to vet Lewis’ claim, only Business Insider updated its article with a correction clearly noting its error. The Huffington Post edited one of its articles to remove Lewis’ false assertion, but there is no note clearly stating it failed to review the congressman’s phony claim. Roll Call, the L.A. Times, CNN, Market Watch, the New York Times and CBS News have not yet corrected their reports. Their coverage of Lewis’ protest still claims incorrectly that this is the first time he has skipped an inauguration.
Lewis’ office confirmed this week that he skipped the 2001 inauguration.
“His absence at that time was also a form of dissent,” said spokeswoman Brenda Jones. “He did not believe the outcome of that election, including the controversies around the results in Florida and the unprecedented intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, reflected a free, fair and open democratic process.”
This admission comes after Trump has already fired back at Lewis, accusing the congressman of overseeing a poorly run and corrupt district.
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” the president-elect wrote on social media. “All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”
The Trump/Lewis feud has convinced a growing number of Democratic lawmakers that they, too, should boycott the inauguration.
If any of them say it’s their first, be sure to double-check it.
