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British newspaper says it was duped by someone impersonating former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio
The Times of London retracted fabricated quotes falsely attributed to Bill de Blasio after being misled by an impersonator just before the NYC mayoral election.
- On Tuesday, The Times of London apologized for publishing an article that falsely claimed former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized Zohran Mamdani and retracted it after saying its reporter was misled by someone impersonating de Blasio.
- Editors said an individual falsely claimed to be de Blasio, misleading staff, and the British newspaper did not elaborate on how the interview was conducted.
- The article ran under a headline blaming de Blasio for reversing support, citing specific policy critiques including free buses, universal child care, and a rent freeze, while the reporter did not respond to inquiries.
- With the race days away, the story prompted an immediate rebuttal from de Blasio, who took to X to call the article published a week before the mayoral election `entirely false and fabricated` and said he `never spoke to that reporter`.
- The factual record shows de Blasio remains a backer of Mamdani, calling his vision `both necessary and achievable`, and the piece is © 2025 The Associated Press with redistribution limits.
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Associated Press News+6 Reposted by 6 other sources
British newspaper says it was duped by someone impersonating former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio
The Times of London has apologized for running an article that falsely claimed ex-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had criticized current candidate Zohran Mamdani.
·United States
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De Blasio imposter hoodwinks British paper
Of all the people to go as for Halloween, why would you choose Bill de Blasio, an undistinguished Mayor of New York and flame-out 2020 presidential candidate? That’s a plausible explanation for the recent howler from the Times of London – Great Britain’s newspaper of record – whose veteran US correspondent Bevan Hurley quoted a man claiming to be de Blasio on his misgivings about Zohran Mamdani. “While the ambition is admirable, the cost estima…
·United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources13
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 33%
Factuality
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