USA Today fact-checks Babylon Bee’s satire claim that Biden is selling Alaska to Russia

USA Right now reporters fact-checked the satirical web site the Babylon Bee for publishing a satirical headline about President Biden promoting Alaska. 

On Monday, Babylon Bee posted the headline, “Biden Sells Alaska Again To Russia So We Can Begin Drilling For Oil There Once more” in response to rising fuel costs and President Biden’s plan to import extra oil from international nations slightly than broaden home manufacturing. 

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“The deliberate and premeditated invasion of Ukraine by brutal dictator Vladimir Putin has pressured the U.S. to reassess the significance of vitality independence. With this new resolve, the Biden Administration has taken its first step towards growing oil manufacturing for People by promoting Alaska again to Russia, so we will begin drilling for oil there once more,” the Babylon Bee wrote.

The Fb web page Being Libertarian posted it to their web page, and it was shared greater than 2,000 occasions. The Fb publish from the group is outwardly what triggered the USA Right now to do a fact-check on the satirical article. Though fact-checker Ana Faguy referenced a number of occasions that the Babylon Bee was a satire website, the article nonetheless required her to charge the declare as “SATIRE” after her evaluation.

A motorist pumps gasoline at a Mobil fuel station following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in West Hollywood, Calif., Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. 
(AP Photograph/Damian Dovarganes)

“Primarily based on our analysis, we charge SATIRE the declare that Biden plans to promote Alaska to Russia. The declare stems from an article revealed by The Babylon Bee, a satire web site. There isn’t any proof Biden plans to promote Alaska,” Faguy wrote. 

The Babylon Bee has been incessantly focused by mainstream media retailers such because the New York Instances and CNN for pushing “misinformation” regardless of selling itself as a pure satire website. Fb additionally flagged one article as misinformation for claiming that CNN places its information via a washer to spin it earlier than they put it on the air. 

New York, USA – September 27, 2019: The New York Instances Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Positioned on eighth Ave it was accomplished in 2007 by the well-known italian architect Renzo Piano.
(iStock)

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The Babylon Bee’s official Twitter account responded to USA Right now’s fact-check on Thursday.

“Due to the fact-checkers at @USATODAY who’ve identified that this story is satire. We want to retract it, as we now understand it’s false and was totally made up,” Babylon Bee tweeted “We do our greatest to solely share 100% true headlines, however generally we get one flawed. We are going to do higher.”