美国国家公共电台 NPR Behind Fox News' Baseless Seth Rich Story: The Untold Tale

 

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A new lawsuit¹ filed this morning makes a remarkable² claim, that the Fox News channel and a wealthy Trump³ supporter worked together to concoct⁴ a false report earlier this year about the death of a young Democratic party aide. The person making those allegations is Rod Wheeler, who's a paid Fox commentator⁵ and private investigator⁶. Fox News withdrew the discredited⁷ story a week later, but Wheeler alleges⁸ the story's creation took place with the knowledge of the White House. NPR's David Folkenflik has this exclusive report on the making of a fake news story.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE⁹: Seth Rich was a 27-year-old staffer at the Democratic National Committee when he was fatally shot in the back in the early morning hours of July 10 of 2016 in Washington, D.C. Twelve days later, WikiLeaks posted thousands of emails among Democratic Party officials and their allies, knocking Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign off track. Conspiracy¹⁰ theories spring up about Rich's death, tying it to WikiLeaks and the DNC emails. Here's Fox News's Eric Bolling last August.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ERIC BOLLING: It clearly was not a robbery. There wasn't a robbery. They weren't even trying to get his information. This was a hit.

FOLKENFLIK: Top U.S. intelligence officials publicly determined¹¹ in October - a month before the election - that the Russian government was behind the hacking¹². Washington, D.C., police called Rich's murder a botched armed robbery, yet it remains¹³ unsolved. In February of this year, a Dallas investor¹⁴ named Ed Butowsky reaches out to Seth Rich's parents. Here's Butowsky on the David Webb talk radio show.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ED BUTOWSKY: And I said, well, maybe you should hire somebody to work for you like a private detective. And they said, well, that would be amazing, but we just don't have the money to do it. And at that moment, I thought, you know what? I'm going to help these people out.

FOLKENFLIK: Butowsky, a vocal¹⁵ Trump supporter, has been a familiar presence on Fox. He introduces himself to Wheeler and arranges to pay his fees.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BUTOWSKY: That is what happened, and that's how I got involved - simply trying to help a man and a lady find out who killed their son.

FOLKENFLIK: Wheeler offers a very different narrative¹⁶ in his lawsuit against Fox News, Butowsky and the network reporter involved, alleging¹⁷ defamation¹⁸ of character. His lawyer is Doug Wigdor.

DOUG WIGDOR: Rod Wheeler unfortunately was used as a pawn¹⁹ by Ed Butowsky, Fox News and the Trump administration to try and steer²⁰ away the attention that was being given about the Russian hacking of the DNC emails.

FOLKENFLIK: In his lawsuit, Wheeler alleges Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman partnered with Butowsky from the outset to create what turned out to be an unfounded story. And Wheeler alleges he was told the Trump administration was monitoring their progress. Butowsky arranged a meeting at the White House with the president's press secretary, Sean Spicer, on April 20. Butowsky and Wheeler, the investor and the investigator, present their findings. Spicer tells NPR he took the meeting merely as a courtesy to Butowsky, a reliable Republican surrogate. Butowsky says Wheeler was eager to land a job with the administration. Spicer says was the topic of jobs never came up.

In subsequent exchanges with Wheeler, before the story breaks, Butowsky repeatedly refers to the White House's interest. Butowsky now tells NPR those references were obviously jokes. In an interview, Butowsky says that he had no political aim in hiring Wheeler and that the allegations in Wheler's suit are lies.

The pace intensifies²¹ in May. On May 9, Trump fires FBI Director James Comey, who had been overseeing the Russia inquiry²². The next day, Butowsky and Fox's Zimmerman tell Wheeler they had found an FBI source linking Seth Rich to WikiLeaks. On the night of May 14, Butowsky calls Wheeler.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BUTOWSKY: Hey, Rod. It's Ed.

FOLKENFLIK: Butowsky leaves a voicemail.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BUTOWSKY: A couple minutes ago, I got a note that we have the full attention of the White House on this. And tomorrow, let's close this deal.

FOLKENFLIK: Butowsky then texts Wheeler to say that President Trump has read a draft of the story and wants it out there, according to the lawsuit. Spicer tells NPR he was unaware²³ of any such contact. The night before the story is to run, Butowsky allegedly coaches Wheeler and the host for the popular show "Fox & Friends" on how to talk about this story. An online piece by Fox's Malia Zimmerman is posted on May 16. It forms the basis of much of the network's on-air coverage²⁴. She quotes Wheeler, saying he had found Rich had been in contact with WikiLeaks and that Democrats²⁵ may have blocked the investigation²⁶ of his murder.

A controversy²⁷ erupts, and Wheeler tells other outlets²⁸ he was misrepresented. According to the lawsuit, Wheeler never said those things. In a three-way phone call that day with Butowsky and a chagrinned Wheeler, Zimmerman says Fox News forced her to write a letter to the Rich family putting the onus²⁹ on Wheeler.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROD WHEELER: That's not accurate though 'cause much of the information did not come from me.

FOLKENFLIK: Zimmerman seems to acknowledge that what he says is true.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MALIA ZIMMERMAN: Well, not the story - not the part about the connection to WikiLeaks.

FOLKENFLIK: Jay Wallace, the network's president for news, tells NPR that Fox does not have enough concrete evidence to determine whether Wheeler was misquoted. Both Butowsky and Zimmerman urge Wheeler to stick to the script. On "Hannity" that night, Wheeler goes along to a point, saying he doesn't know personally about Rich's emails, but says that a very credible³⁰ federal investigator says, quote, "he laid eyes on the case file." Instead of certitude, Wheeler serves up energetic speculation³¹.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HANNITY")

WHEELER: When you look at that with the totality of everything else that I found in this case, it's very consistent for a person with my experience to begin to think, well, perhaps there were some emails communications between Seth and WikiLeaks.

FOLKENFLIK: Fox News retracts³² the baseless story a week later. David Folkenflik, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF ERIK JEKABSON'S "STREAMLINED OSTINATO")

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 concoct   

v.调合，制造

参考例句：

• I gave her a tip on how to concoct a new kind of soup.我教她配制一种新汤的诀窍。
• I began to concoct explanations of my own.我开始思考自己的解释。

5 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

6 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

7 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

8 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

15 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

16 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

17 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

18 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

19 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

20 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

21 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

23 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

24 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

25 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

27 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

28 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

29 onus   

n.负担；责任

参考例句：

• The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot bedisclosed.政府部门有责任说明不能把信息公开的理由。
• The onus of proof lies with you.你有责任提供证据。

30 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

31 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

32 retracts   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的第三人称单数 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• A cat retracts its claws. 猫缩进它的爪子。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The split graph is given endomorphism images are retracts. 给出了任意自同态像图都是收缩核的分裂图的结构。 来自互联网