FACT CHECK: Did The New York Times Publish An Article Titled ‘Even If The Election Was Stolen, Recalling It Will Further Divide The Country’?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows an article from The New York Times with the headline: “Even If The Election Was Stolen, Recalling It Will Just Further Divide The Country.”

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

There is no evidence The New York Times published the headline. The image has been photoshopped.

Fact Check:

The Facebook post shows a supposed screen grab of an article, allegedly published by The New York Times, that seemingly suggests the 2020 election was stolen. The subheadline mentions former President Donald Trump and law enforcement officials.

A search of The New York Times’ website, however, yielded no matches for the headline shown in the Facebook post. The purported article also cannot be found on either the newspaper’s Facebook page or its Twitter account. (RELATED: Did The New York Times Publish An Article Claiming Donald Trump Died?)

The screen grab appears to be a doctored version of a real New York Times article titled “Trump Pressed Justice Dept. to Declare Election Results Corrupt, Notes Show.” In the digitally altered image, the headline has been changed.

The actual New York Times article reported that, according to handwritten notes from then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, Trump asked Department of Justice officials in a December phone call to say the 2020 election was “corrupt.” Archived versions of the article on the Wayback Machine show the piece has not suggested at any point that the election was stolen or sported the headline featured in the Facebook post.

“The New York Times did not write or publish the headline in that screenshot,” Jordan Cohen, the executive director of communications for the publication, told Check Your Fact in an email.

The Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council and the Elections Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Council issued a joint statement in November of last year stating, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.” Former Attorney General William Barr also said the Department of Justice found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, according to the Associated Press.

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