USA Today was forced to delete nearly two dozen news articles this week after an internal investigation found that breaking news reporter Gabriela Miranda had allegedly fabricated sources and then gave investigators false evidence to try to cover up her actions.
“After receiving an external correction request, USA Today audited the reporting work of Gabriela Miranda,” the newspaper said in a statement. “The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated. The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified. In addition, some stories included quotes that should have been credited to others.”
Miranda, who says on her own website that she has sources in the “Latinx” community, resigned from the newspaper and appeared to delete her Twitter account.
“During the investigation, USA Today concluded that Ms. Miranda took steps to deceive investigators by producing false evidence of her news gathering, including recordings of interviews, according to the person briefed on the inquiry,” The New York Times reported. “USA Today had a separate story-fabrication scandal in 2004, when the newspaper accused a Pulitzer Prize finalist and correspondent, Jack Kelley, of making up stories and plagiarizing work from other outlets.”
The 23 articles that the newspaper deleted included:
- Washington, DC couples call wedding dance ban excessive
- TikTok bans ‘milk crate challenge’ from its app, citing concerns over dangerous acts
- Texas abortion ban could lead to stockpiling contraceptives and pregnancy tests
- Capybara population ‘wreaking havoc’ in wealthy community in Argentina
- What do the different stages of breast cancer mean? Which is the most dangerous?
- Real life Squid Games? Hit show a chance to spotlight Korean culture
- More than decorated skulls: What is the Day of the Dead and how is the holiday celebrated
- ‘Friends are also family’: How the unofficial holiday Friendsgiving has grown
- The top 10 most popular liquors during Christmas and why you should grab yours now
- McDonald’s employee leaps out of drive-thru window to save woman choking on a chicken nugget
- Anti-vaxxer pushes urine therapy as ‘COVID antidote’ without scientific evidence
- Russian troops halt attack of nuclear power plant but remain in control. How dangerous could this be?
- Georgia redistricting pits Democratic incumbents against each other in May primary
- Campus ministry at Virginia Tech had its Pride flag stolen, replaced with Confederate flag
- ‘That’s on TikTok, not our menu’: Starbucks baristas can make viral drink orders but need time and patience
- Disneyland’s Snow White ride faces backlash over Prince Charming’s kiss
- Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday. So why does the United States celebrate it more?
- If not skinny jeans, then what? Gen Z tells Millennials their jeans are out of style
- Sunscreen for dark skin or acne-prone skin: How to find a good sunscreen match
- From Allyson Felix to Simone Biles, how female stars of Tokyo Olympics are inspiring women around the world
- ‘Five hours of silence was torture’: Facebook and WhatsApp are lifelines for some families
- ‘This is my land, I stay’: These Ukrainian women are among thousands choosing to fight, not flee
- This isn’t about music, it’s about ‘freedom’: Why songs chanted at Cuba protests matter
The content in each of the articles was deleted and replaced with the following note from the newspaper: “This story has been removed from our platforms because it does not meet our standards.”