Hip-Hop Fact-checking Fail, Public Enemy-Style
Tip of the hat to co-worker Nick P., who stumbled upon the following correction in the Washington Post. The Public Enemy song to which it refers, "911 Is a Joke," comes from the group's seminal 1990 album, Fear of a Black Planet. In other words, the song existed a full eleven years before 9/11. Even worse, the story to which this correction refers is about how the group visited Washington, D.C.'s Sasha Bruce House, which is "a haven for homeless and displaced youth in Southeast Washington" and is involved in advocacy and support for the homeless. The sentence in question that was corrected? "Public Enemy has earned notoriety with more than 20 years of politically charged music about fighting the power, challenging racism and declaring that 911 was a joke." Ouch.
Correction and video below.
(screencap from washingtonpost.com)
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