Washington Post issues correction on Covington Catholic incident

With the threat of a $250 million defamation lawsuit looming over the company, the Washington Post finally published an editor’s note Friday acknowledging errors in its coverage of an incident between 16-year-old student Nick Sandmann and Native American demonstrator Nathan Phillips on Jan. 18.

Sandmann, who sued the newspaper through his parents, became an international figure after video showed him standing face-to-face with Mr. Phillips in a crowd of students on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Post had reported that Phillips was prevented from reaching the Lincoln Memorial by a group of boys wearing “Make America Great Again” hats. The newspaper had also stated Phillips had been taunted by students before the encounter, and that the students were the instigators of the incident.

Sandmann was vilified on social media until more extensive footage released later showed that it was Mr. Phillips who initiated the contact by approaching the group of students and worked his way into their cheer circle as he beat a drum.

Whether the Post’s non-apologetic note on Friday is enough to stymie the lawsuit pending against it remains to be seen.