Wash. Times issues correction for uncritically quoting Indiana man calling Obama a Muslim

As Media Matters for America noted, a May 7 Washington Times article that ran in the online and print editions uncritically quoted an Indiana man saying of Sen. Barack Obama, “I can't stand him. ... He's a Muslim. He's not even pro-American as far as I'm concerned.” In the May 9 edition of the Times, the following clarification was issued: “An article in Wednesday's editions about the Indiana primary election quoted a man who said he thought Sen. Barack Obama was a Muslim. The article inadvertently failed to note that Mr. Obama is in fact a Christian.”

The online version of the Times article has been updated with a note stating: “This story was updated May 8 with the following clarification: Mr. Obama is in fact a Christian and regular church-goer, although polls show a minority of Americans mistakenly believe him to be a Muslim.”

Reports in the Los Angeles Times and on washingtonpost.com and the Baltimore Sun's website also contained the same quote without noting that it was false; these publications have yet to issue corrections.