J.K. Rowling never shies away from bashing Trump or his supporters. Yet in her latest rant-y installment, the Harry Potter author got some facts wrong on a story and has, subsequently, neglected to correct herself. Whether this omission has arrived purposely is anyone’s guess, but here’s what happened. As part of a lengthy tweet storm, Rowling expressed disappointment and condemned Trump — who has, in the past, mocked a disabled reporter — for supposedly ignoring a disabled child’s request for a handshake.
Yet as one Twitter user pointed out, Trump did bestow a notable amount of attention upon the child in question at the beginning of this clip.
https://twitter.com/scratch_point/status/891016673012199424
If Rowling heard about this, she didn’t correct her tweets. And CNN’s Brian Stelter publicly questioned her on Twitter for failing to do so.
Stelter, of course, hails from the same network that Trump has dangerously branded as “fake news.” The president uses this term frequently while instructing his followers to not believe reports that paint his team in an unflattering light. However, that doesn’t negate — in any way — the need for Rowling to correct any falsehoods, lest she lend any justification for Team Trump’s continued use of the “fake news” label. This is true even though Rowling isn’t a journalist but merely a public figure, for she’s a critic who may wield influence.
After all, it’s hard to hold the White House to a truth-telling standard while also failing to amend one’s own slip-ups with the truth. However, Rowling hasn’t said anything … yet. If she does, we’ll keep you posted.