Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed BuzzFeed for publishing a 35-page document full of unverified claims about a Russian effort to compromise him, and the growing consensus among journalists is that the president-elect had a point. For many in the media, validating one of Trump's attacks is an unfamiliar and uncomfortable thing to do. “Don't you have a responsibility of not spreading false information?” Chuck Todd asked BuzzFeed Editor in Chief Ben Smith on MSNBC on Wednesday evening. At a time when the incoming president is firing constantly at the news media, blowing new holes in the industry's already-weakening foundation of trust, BuzzFeed just handed him more ammunition. “BuzzFeed let Trump cast a shadow of doubt on all reporting,” Poynter Institute Vice President Kelly McBride wrote in the New York Times.

Source: Washington Post January 12, 2017 15:15 UTC