Newsweek Retracts #FakeNews Story About Russian Bots Taking Down Al Franken

Al Franken resigned, because he’s a flaming hypocrite. That’s all there is to it. UNLESS of course you’re Newsweek and believe that alt-right bots took him down, of course.

That was Newsweek’s original take. The actual story was titled “How an Alt-Right Bot Network Took Down Al Franken.” Weird, huh? I thought this photo took Al Franken down:

Well, well, well. Whaddya know. Newsweek has decided that its story is actually BS.

Aaand it's gone https://t.co/R0pAfunpFE pic.twitter.com/r9cZBmQa3p

— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) February 21, 2018

Ya don't say….

Bot insanity. https://t.co/hm47kJA22w

— Melissa Mackenzie 🌐 (@MelissaTweets) February 21, 2018

Al Franken just can't catch a break https://t.co/Dv2DnIXPEH

— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) February 21, 2018

But, they *wanted* it to be true!https://t.co/WNOk2tKeiC

— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) February 21, 2018

So why did you report it before you could verify it?

— John Dagley (@JohnDagley1) February 21, 2018

Newsweek has retracted its story about a conservative botnet effort to force the resignation of Senator Al Franken.

The initial report was based on research conducted by Unhack The Vote, a group examining outside influence in U.S. elections and politics. It alleged that a “decidedly alt-right” botnet “weaponized” anti-Franken stories and amplified pressure on Franken to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct. Newsweek was unable to independently verify their claims after a further review of their work.

Better luck next time, Newsweek. #NotARussianBot