The NY Times Did Not Run a Story Claiming the Election Was Stolen

The headline has been digitally altered. It’s unclear who altered the headline, but there’s plenty of evidence that shows it’s fake.

The headline circulating in the screenshot reads “Even if the election was stolen, recalling it will just further divide the country.” The subhead immediately below the headline says the following: “‘Leave the rest to me’ and to congressional allies, the former president is said to have told top law enforcement officials.” The context in the headline and the subhead does not match. Journalists have pointed out the obvious discrepancy on Twitter.

When you search the subhead verbatim, an article from the Times comes up with the following headline: “Trump Pressed Justice Dept. to Declare Election Results Corrupt, Notes Show.” This headline makes sense with the context from the subhead. 

Additionally, the altered headline contradicts previous articles from the Times that directly say that Biden won the presidential election last year. The Times itself called officials in every state and found zero evidence of voter fraud, contrary to claims from Trump and other Republican lawmakers. Biden won the 2020 presidential election and is in his eighth month as president.

The New York Times’ public relations team also quashed the misinformation, saying in a tweet that the outlet “did not write or publish the headline in that screenshot.”