Initial report on leaflets
In an article published on Monday, October 26, the newspaper Le Monde initially reported that leaflets from the National Rally (RN) had been found in the car of Kévin T., the suspect in the Trappes terrorist attack. The article cited "a source close to the investigation," as is customary in judicial matters.Correction of the report
However, the report was later corrected. At 14:59, the article was republished with a clarification: "A second source then clarified to Le Monde, Monday in the early afternoon, that these documents had been found in another location than his vehicle, and that they did not strictly speaking constitute leaflets, without specifying the nature of the documents in question or contesting that they were linked to the RN." The title was also revised, no longer referring to leaflets ("Trappes attack: new elements of the investigation confirm the suspect's racist motive"). The correction was clearly mentioned at the end of the article.Further clarification by authorities
At 20:30, following a press conference by the National Antiterrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT), Le Monde modified the text and title again as follows: "Trappes attack: the PNAT denies that political 'leaflets' were found 'in the vehicle' of the suspect." The article was promoted, like the first version, to subscribers to the newspaper's "alerts." The PNAT later announced that in the suspect's car were found not political party leaflets, but "a submachine gun, magazines, a laser pointer, a knife, a tear gas bomb, a pair of handcuffs and a police armband." The prosecutor neither confirmed nor denied another piece of information from Le Monde, according to which the suspect had a copy of Mein Kampf at his home.Response to the initial report
The initial report was called fake news by some media outlets, including CNews. However, Le Monde stated that the difference between "fake news" and "error" is not only semantic but also political. A "fake news" is a false information designed and spread with full knowledge, while an error is a mistake that is corrected when contradicted by facts. In this case, Le Monde evolved its coverage of the investigation as the information coming to it evolved, subject to the statements of various sources. Several left-wing personalities, such as socialist Olivier Faure or ecologist Benjamin Lucas, who had initially relayed the presence of leaflets, revisited the information upon learning that the information is incorrect - which LFI Manon Aubry did not do.
