Wall Street Journal editor leery of labeling false Trump statements as lies

A top Wall Street Journal editor says he is leery about using the word “lie” when fact-checking statements made by President-elect Donald Trump.

“I’d be careful about using the word ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead,” Editor in Chief Gerard Baker told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Baker said news organization should investigation claims like Trump’s during his campaign that he saw thousands of Muslims cheering on Sept. 11. There is no evidence that his claim is true. 

{mosads}“I think it’s then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, ‘This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don’t think that’s true,’” Baker said.

“I think if you start ascribing a moral intent as it were to someone by saying that they’ve lied, I think you run the risk that you look like you are not being objective,” he added.