Blame it on technology. The Washington Post accidentally published a story about Vice President Joe Biden's presidential bid on Monday, Oct. 19, after what was described by reporter Paul Kane as a "technical glitch."
The glitch, it turned out, took place when someone attempted to embed a video into the piece and accidentally published it. The piece included a detailed analysis of what would happen if Biden were to run, under the headline: "Biden to launch a presidential campaign."
Newsblock captured the text, which soon went viral. “Vice President Biden plans to enter the contest for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, ending months of speculation about his intentions and delivering a jolt to an already unpredictable contest, according to XXX sources familiar with his …" the text read, according to the capture.
The file was immediately replaced with a note by the editor, which read: "This file was inadvertently published."
The author, Washington Post congressional reporter Kane — whose byline was on the piece — then apologized via Twitter.
“Earlier tonight, a technical glitch caused publication of a just-in-case/when-we-kno story of VP running for president,” Kane wrote. “It happened when editors were embedding video file. It carries my byline. I regret that it was published accidentally. Deep apologies.”
A spokesperson for the paper also confirmed what had happened to Politico. “The story was immediately pulled down,” the rep said. “And the Post regrets the error.”
