The Associated Press published a story claiming Russian missiles struck Poland after an editor decided that a single anonymous source was sufficient, newly published internal messages show.
Reporter James LaPorta said in a Slack chat room that he’d heard from a source, described as a senior American intelligence official, that “Russian missiles crossed into Poland.” LaPorta said his source had been vetted by Ron Nixon, an Associated Press vice president.
Lisa Leff, an editor, asked if the wire service could run with the narrative despite only having a single source.
“That call is above my pay grade,” LaPorta said.
Vanessa Gera, an Associated Press reporter, said that she supported sending out an alert, writing, “I can’t imagine a US intelligence official would be wrong on this.”…