‘Missing Context’! USA TODAY ‘Fact Checker’ Rushes to Defend NYC, DC Requiring Papers

In Washington, DC today, you need proof of vaccine and your ID for admission to “restaurants, nightclubs, taverns, food halls, food courts, breweries, wineries, distillery tasting rooms, dining halls and cafes within other establishments….concert venues, sports venues, movie theaters, pool and billiard halls, bowling alleys, cigar bars, hookah bars and adult entertainment venues….indoor exercise and recreational facilities, including gyms and fitness studios….hotel meeting rooms, banquet halls, conference center meeting facilities, event halls, convention centers, auditoriums and shared work facilities that are hosting events.”

But Bob Daley, an Edgewater, Maryland Facebook user with 427 followers, was flagged by Daniel Funke of USA TodayFor a meme that stated “When you need papers to eat in restaurants, but not to vote,”

Fake news: The claim that Americans require ‘papers in order to eat at a restaurant’ does not make sense.

This means that it is accurate in some places, but not all of America.  Funke said it wasn’t wrong, but it’s ….explicit.

One example is New York City, which in August became the first city to announce a vaccine mandate. Anyone older than 12 must show proof of full vaccination to dine indoors, hit the gym or go to a movie theater, while children ages 5-11 are required to show proof of one dose. Several other cities, including Boston, Chicago and San Francisco, have similar rules in place.

In ignoring the part that requires you to show your ID, he seems “to have missed context”, and not only proof of vaccination. He doesn’t include DC. However, this would be like saying “misleading” that DC is not included. USA TodayThis is an “national newspaper”, where you won’t find a copy anywhere else in America. Typically, he found an expert to mock the little meme.

The posts appear to take aim at COVID-19 vaccine requirements, which in some places apply to people who dine at restaurants. The claim is too broad and does not reflect the true scope of vaccine requirements in America.

“This is a patently silly claim,” Joshua Douglas, a research professor of law at the University of Kentucky, said in an email. 

Douglas also spread his snotty quote on his Twitter page: 

Joshua Douglas, University of Kentucky research professor of law, stated in an email that “this is a patently ridiculous claim.” https://t.co/sTJvGKYevL

— Josh Douglas (@JoshuaADouglas) January 25, 2022

I sent this message to Funke on Twitter: “I’m a little mystified why you would jump to ‘correct’ a Facebook post from a guy with 427 followers. You think that’s a’misinformation-based’ threat? And: “Why not focus on Mayor Bowser and how she is “missing the context” that asking for an ID sounds like it’s not ‘racist’ when it’s about COVID.”

Funke claims that this meme has been shared. The post received more than 3500 views in just two days. It certainly seems like the media Goliath is picking on conservative David. Daley expressed his opinions on the matter via his Facebook Page: 

USA TodayNotes that the harassment of Facebook users was funded by a grant from Facebook. If you donate to liberal newspapers, liberal spin is disguised under “missing contextual” checking. 

Prior: A correction is required to Funke’s fact check defending Biden.