Daily Caller Tries Its Best to Fact-Check the NYT For Using the Wrong Abbreviation of ‘Maine,’ Fails
The Daily Caller brutally botched a fact-check of a New York Times graphic that abbreviated the state Maine as “Me.” and Texas as “Tex.” on Monday.
More specifically, the conservative tabloid, co-founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, dedicated an entire article — “NYT Uses Incorrect Abbreviations For Maine, Texas” — to falsely correcting the Times because they included “extinct postal abbreviations” in the graphic.
“The New York Times ran a shoddy graphic on Monday that included two extinct postal abbreviations for Maine and Texas,” wrote the Daily Caller‘s media and breaking news editor Amber Athey. “’These Women Could Shatter Glass Ceilings in Governor’s Races,’ a story about women running in governor’s races across the country, came packaged with a fancy-looking graphic right below the headline.”
Athey continued by dropping some snark: “Unfortunately, whoever made the graphic clearly did not have knowledge of the correct abbreviations for states.”
Unfortunately for Athey, whoever edited her “fact checking the New York Times over the abbreviation of U.S. states in a graphic” piece clearly did not have knowledge of the correct abbreviations for states used by the Times’ style guide. It reads, “Maine. Abbreviate as Me.”
In response to her critics, Athey took to Twitter to claim that “‘ME’ is an acceptable abbreviation. ‘Me.’ is not.”
Another false assertion, one based on the Associated Press style guide, not the Times‘ own, unique grammar rules, which the Daily Caller is apparently not aware of.
The fact-check air ball was predictably ridiculed by mainstream reporters and pundits, igniting a futile debate about the proper abbreviation of Maine. Even Dictionary.com weighed in to correct the mistake:
Me. is an abbreviation for Maine. #ItsInTheDictionary https://t.co/MJy8R0F3RI https://t.co/d0ipUCFY2r
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) August 6, 2018
When there are worms in your brain pic.twitter.com/fEMOIcrvfr
— Jon Christian ? (@Jon_Christian) August 6, 2018
Daily Caller Writes Another Embarrassing Story pic.twitter.com/cldxqAXMxq
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) August 6, 2018
the daily caller, holding power to account pic.twitter.com/xrmO0M3qcc
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 6, 2018
Guys… pic.twitter.com/T1v3Vk3NC7
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) August 6, 2018
NYT’s been using this same style for decades, so great job staying on top of that hot trend, Daily Caller. pic.twitter.com/mbuiUaNmTI
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) August 6, 2018
Daily Caller makes up mistake NYT didn’t make because that is the correct abbreviation for Maine. @TuckerCarlson cancel your website. https://t.co/dhBKed0PnW
— Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) August 6, 2018
1. This is just…a cringe-inducing journalistic self-own.
The NYT consistently abbreviates Maine “Me,” likely because they have their own style guide, @DailyCaller.
Also: If y’all care this much about journalistic accuracy, then you should probably issue a retraction. https://t.co/IiIrMDo7Wu
— Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) August 6, 2018
2. Look I googled for 30 seconds and found all these examples.
Seriously why would you not Google this before publishing. pic.twitter.com/ful8YOPRc0
— Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) August 6, 2018
Nice job being wrong about everything every day
— K. Thor Jensen (@kthorjensen) August 6, 2018
After much mockery on Twitter, the Daily Caller article in question now includes a correction — spun as an “update” — at the top of the page, which completely undermines the article beneath. It reads:
“The New York Times’ style guide, contrary to AP style, abbreviates Maine as ‘Me.’ and Texas as ‘Tex.'”
[image via screengrab]
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