4 "genuine news" orgs have published the same false claim without checking it first.

Independent
Michael D Higgins has never been to Venezuela that hasn't stopped Peter Casey claiming that he has and that he used public money to do so. This has been published by 4 "genuine news" orgs without checking it, pointing it out and then challenging Casey on it.


'Higgins kept seat warm while being paid vast amounts of money' – millionaire presidential hopeful slams 'bonkers' pay Kevin Doyle August 30 2018

He [Peter Casey] added: "I wouldn't have supported him going to Cuba and supporting Fidel Castro… or extolling the virtues of Hugo Chavez. I'd like to hear his answers as what justified using taxpayers' money to go to these countries," he said.

Peter Casey is suggesting Higgins spent tax payers money to go to Venezuela, when he's never been there, Peter Casey has made the same claim on radio, that Higgins visited Cuba and Venezuela so he is referring to both "countries".

RTE radio
On Thu, Aug 30 on the RTE Radio 1 Today Show with Miriam O'Callaghan at the very end of the interview Peter Casey says, "I don't really think it was an attack. I made an observation that he visited Cuba and visited Venezuela"

RTE.ie
The Presidential Election: it's David vs Goliath RTE.ie by Paul Cunningham Sunday, 2 Sep 2018

The former Dragon's Den candidate Peter Casey is a case in point. Mr Casey fired a salvo at President Higgins this week - condemning him for visiting Cuba and Venezuela as President. He said: "I don't believe in him [President Higgins] supporting governments that are totalitarian and undemocratic at the Irish taxpayers' expense."

Its been corrected to say now reads "While President Higgins never visited Venezuela..." why is the word "While" used?

Irish Times

Peter Casey: ‘Whoever wins it, it will not be President Michael D Higgins’ Irish Times Aug 31, 2018 Ronan McGreevy

Higgins has “certainly not embarrassed the presidency”, he says, though he believes the President should not have visited Cuba.

This sentence originally said "and Venezuela" There was a note subsequently added at the bottom correcting this,

This article was amended on August 31st to reflect the fact that President Higgins has not visited Venezuela, as Mr Casey suggested.

The article hasn't been edited 'to reflect the fact that President Higgins has not visited Venezuela, as Mr Casey suggested' its been edited as if Casey never claimed he had. Why didn't the Irish Times check the claims and then ring Peter Casey and ask him about it before publishing it.