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

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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."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.