An article published Thursday by the New York Times was framed around the pricey curtains that currently hang in the apartment U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley occupies in New York — but what the headline omitted was the fact that the curtains were purchased in 2016, and Haley had no say in the matter.
The article, written by the Times’ State Department correspondent Gardiner Harris, was titled “Nikki Haley’s View of New York Is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701” — and Harris tweeted that title along with the article.
Nikki Haley’s View of New York Is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701. https://t.co/Y8k6QXeQhs
— Gardiner Harris (@GardinerHarris) September 14, 2018
The lede paragraph, likewise, did nothing to dispel the myth that Haley herself was responsible for the expenditure.
The State Department spent $52,701 last year buying customized and mechanized curtains for the picture windows in Nikki R. Haley’s official residence as ambassador to the United Nations, just as the department was undergoing deep budget cuts and had frozen hiring.
Six paragraphs in, however, Harris writes that Haley was not party to the purchase, which was planned in 2016 under the Obama administration.
A spokesman for Ms. Haley said plans to buy the curtains were made in 2016, during the Obama administration. Ms. Haley had no say in the purchase, he said.
The misleading nature of the headline did not go unnoticed on Twitter, either.
This seems like a pretty important paragraph that we should get to the bottom of before calling them “Nikki Haley’s $52,000 curtains” https://t.co/2RfJkFqvch pic.twitter.com/AZOJwsofwS
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) September 14, 2018
Six graphs in before they tell you Obama’s Administration ordered the damn curtains. A better headline would be, “Haley Fails To Cancel Obama Era Curtain Order.”https://t.co/OFj49FfmdA
— Did you… read the article? (@bungarsargon) September 14, 2018
Why people distrust the NY Times, Part 8,967,465. Breathlessly announces curtains in Nikki Haley’s official residence cost $52,701 at a time of “deep budget cuts.” Forgets to mention curtains had been ordered in 2016 by Obama admin. #FakeNews #Hackeryhttps://t.co/arXHzUAQpy
— Roger Kimball (@rogerkimball) September 14, 2018
But not before other outlets followed the NYT’s lead.
Nikki Haley spent over $52K in State Department money on curtains https://t.co/pyFtPXfKCU pic.twitter.com/PXVigLXOHx
— New York Post (@nypost) September 14, 2018
“All she’s got is a part-time maid, and the ability to open and close the curtains quickly is important.” https://t.co/Yxf8yWXZE8
— Katie Phang (@KatiePhang) September 14, 2018
Taxpayers paid $52,000 for curtains for Haley’s apartment. On the bright side, they go well with Carson’s $31,000 dining room set and Pruitt’s $43,000 soundproof booth. https://t.co/bJChQ6hnYz
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) September 14, 2018
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