The Washington Post apparently hoped it had successfully tamped down the controversy over a story that defamed Naked Capitalism and many other reputable sites. As the letter below shows, that is not the case.

Three other publlishers, Black Agenda Report, Counterpunch, and Paul Craig Roberts, have joined us in again calling for the Post to retract the article by Craig Timberg, Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say, issue a prominent apology, and give us an equivalent opportunity to respond.

Truthdig and Naked Capitalism both sent letters to the Post earlier this month demanding the article be retracted. The Post instead appended an “Editor’s Note” at the top of the now-in-the-archives story and sent Truthdig’s and our attorney letters saying why the Post thought this response was sufficient.

The Columbia Journalism Review, the media watchdog FAIR, and many journalists on Twitter gave the “Editor’s Note” a thumbs down. Perhaps more important from the Post’s perspective, its failure to take adequate steps to remedy the damage done has led more and more of the defamed websites to combine forces.

As you will see below, Black Agenda Report, Counterpunch, and Paul Craig Roberts have joined us. We’ve also had five other sites say they would participate in a lawsuit against the Post, and one other prominent site is seriously interested. Mind you, we’ve gotten this level of interest despite doing almost no outreach.

Please circulate the letter below widely. Be sure to read the section toward the end that discusses how the victims of this McCarthyite campaign are still being harmed. The Post’s article is still being treated as authoritative by other news outlets and major Silicon Valley “fake news” initiatives even after the Post tried to distance itself from its reporting. Thanks again for your patience and support. This is not just a fight for our long-term survival but also for the preservation of a free and open Internet.

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