The New York Times was blasted on social media after its Wednesday write-up of Donald Trump’s immigration speech contained a wildly inaccurate lede.

The Times’ original lede portrayed Trump’s speech as a moderation of his rhetoric on illegal immigration, and noted that he was “shelving his plan to deport 11 million undocumented people” and “softening his immigration plans”:

Donald J. Trump made an audacious attempt on Wednesday to remake his image on the divisive issue of immigration, shelving his plan to deport 11 million undocumented people and suggesting that the United States and Mexico would solve the immigration crisis together. In a spirited bid for undecided American voters to see him anew, Mr. Trump swept into Mexico City to make overtures to a nation he has repeatedly denigrated, then flew to Phoenix to outline his latest priorities on immigration — a stark turnaround from the “deportation force” and other severe tactics that helped win him the Republican nomination. Never had Mr. Trump gambled quite like this. Aiming to appear bold and diplomatic, he traveled to politically hostile territory to meet with a president who might surprise him with a rebuke, and he also risked support from some conservatives who do not want him cozying up to Mexico or softening his immigration plans.

Those who watched the speech will realize that The Times is highly overstating the extent to which Trump appeared to pivot or reverse himself during his Phoenix speech. He actually did the opposite, promising to deport millions in his first hour of being president and vowing that “anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation.” Put another way: The Times thought that a speech that was lavishly praised by Ann Coulter and David Duke represented a “stark turnaround” on Trump’s part.

Immediately, The Times and its reporter Patrick Healy began to be called out on Twitter by other journalists:

tfw you wrote your lede at 5pm and everything that happened after contradicts it but you gotta file on deadline. pic.twitter.com/9N39xkHf4k — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 1, 2016

This simply did not happen. It’s a work of fiction. — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) September 1, 2016

This NYT lede is…not what I saw today. https://t.co/YeBqdwKF6D pic.twitter.com/AxODMdGz71 — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) September 1, 2016

That @patrickhealynyt story is a systematic failure. How does he write that? How does an editor let that pass? — Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 1, 2016

As criticism mounted, the piece received massive edits. The new lede is a complete turnaround from what The Times originally reported, but the piece contains no correction or editor’s note explaining the edits.

Donald J. Trump made an audacious attempt on Wednesday to remake his image on the divisive issue of immigration, shelving his plan to deport 11 million undocumented people and arguing that a Trump administration and Mexico would secure the border together. In a spirited bid for undecided American voters to see him anew, Mr. Trump swept into Mexico City to make overtures to a nation he has repeatedly denigrated, then flew to Phoenix to outline in his usual bullying tone his latest priorities on immigration. Yet the juxtaposition of Mr. Trump’s dual performances was so jarring that his true vision and intentions on immigration were hard to discern. He displayed an almost unrecognizable demeanor during his afternoon in Mexico, appearing measured and diplomatic, while hours later he took the stage at his campaign rally and denounced illegal immigrants on the whole as a criminally minded and dangerous group that sows terror in communities and commits murders, rapes and other heinous violence.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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