It's not as bad as "Dewey Defeats Truman," but the Washington Post made one heck of an embarrassing blunder Monday when it briefly published a story trumpeting that Vice President Joe Biden had finally decided to join the 2016 presidential race.
MediaEqualizer.com, a press watchdog, reports that The Post's online site stated:
"Vice President Biden plans to enter the contest for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, ending months of speculation about his intentions and delivering a jolt to an already unpredictable contest, according to XXX sources familiar with his decision.
Biden, who has been publicly grieving since the death of his eldest son on May 30, began telling associates on XX of his intention to launch a late-breaking campaign that will pit him against a pair of Democrats who have been well ahead of his decision-making process, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)."
The story — a draft of a news item The Post believes will eventually pan out — was quickly yanked, and replaced by an editor's note, stating: "This file was inadvertently published."
But before the false story could be removed, it was picked up by the Republican National Committee, which immediately distributed it to its email subscribers.
According to
Politico, Post congressional reporter Paul Kane, whose byline appeared on the story, later tweeted:
"Earlier tonight, a technical glitch caused publication of a just-in-case/when-we-know story of VP running for president. It happened when editors were embedding video file. It carries my byline. I regret that it was published accidentally. Deep apologies."
One of the most outrageous media blunders of all time occurred on Nov. 3rd, 1948, when the Chicago Daily Tribune ran the huge, front-page headline "Dewey Defeats Truman."
The paper had jumped the gun before the final votes had been tabulated showing that President Harry S. Truman had won an upset victory over Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey.
Meanwhile, as speculation about Biden grows,
CNN cited sources saying his associates are "setting up interviews for potential staff positions" for a campaign. Biden also met with his top political advisers Monday night.
He is expected to make an announcement by Wednesday.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.