> The basic idea is that there is fact and there is truth.
Yes, of course. There is also untruth, and then there is another category: unknown, which often results in speculation, which is then presented as truth. Leaving aside what's the case here, are you able to acknowledge this is possible?
> There is no way to "fix" the production of news and truth.
How are you able to know what isn't possible? How many times in the past have things been declared impossible, until suddenly someone found a way?
> They are not presenting it as fact, it is clearly identified as a quote from a government official.
I have already addressed that specifically: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20955117
>> The article isn't saying that. It's in quotes becuase they are reporting the words of someone they've deemed to be a reputable source for the topic of standard administration behavior.
> Very good point. My claim: "Stating speculation as fact...." itself could be described as sloppy. To clarify: factually, Politico is printing the words of a third party - it is a fact (presumably) that this person made that statement. The statement itself is speculation stated as fact, but the speaker bears the direct guilt for that, not Politico.
> However, someone with poor reading skills might interpret it as such
You seem confident. I challenge you to address my question about how someone can speak factually about the details of something that did not (to their knowledge) actually occur. This is the third time I've pointed this out, if you're confident you are correct, there should be no need to be evasive in conversation should there?