Serbian magazine says it was tricked into reporting hoax about Trump apologizing for '90s bombings

The Serbian news weekly Nedeljnik confirmed it was the victim of a hoax after publishing fake comments attributed to Donald Trump. Nedeljnik had originally reported that Trump apologized for the United States' aerial attacks on Serbs in 1995 and 1999; in the United States, Newsweek reported the story. Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller told Newsweek that "this was a hoax and we look forward to receiving a formal retraction and apology from all involved." (Our original story, with the Trump campaign's update, appears here.)

While Nedeljnik pinned the blame for the incident on a Serbian-American who claimed to be involved with the Trump campaign, the publication added in its retraction that "we believed the party who provided us with evidence … and we did not fulfill our professional duties … This wasn't done out of malice and not in order to bring readers astray."

Nedeljnik's source maintained the story is authentic and said he would provide evidence, The Atlantic reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up