AP Fires Reporter After False Story

Bob Lewis

The Associated Press has fired its veteran Virginia politics reporter Bob Lewis on the heels of his erroneous report about gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe — a move that came as a shock to the politicians and journalists who have worked with Lewis during his two-decade tenure in Richmond.

The decision, which was made Monday, came on the heels of an Oct. 9 report in which Lewis alleged that McAuliffe had lied to a federal official investigating a death benefits scam. The Associated Press retracted the story less than two hours after it went up, and Lewis immediately took responsibility for the mistake.

Dena Potter, the Richmond-based news editor who edited Lewis’s report, has also been fired. The news was confirmed by POLITICO on Monday afternoon.

Both Lewis and Potter did not respond to request for comment regarding their terminations. Paul Colford, the Associated Press director for communications, said the organization would not comment on personnel matters.

The move, according to sources familiar with the AP’s thinking, was meant to send a clear signal that such mistakes could not be tolerated by an international news organization that prides itself on accuracy.

But for those who had worked with Lewis, a highly respected veteran on the Richmond political scene, the AP’s decision was seen as an overreaction.

Read More Now