On November 27th, news broke that an undercover reporter provided false testimony concerning an alleged, illicit relationship with Alabama’s Senate candidate Roy Moore. The woman who goes by the name Jaime Phillips approached a Washington Post reporter, telling The Post that she’d had a relationship with Moore at 15 and that this relationship had led to an abortion.
Phillips’ testimony was explosive — so sensational, in fact, that it aroused suspicions at The Post. Investigative work by reporters Shawn Boburg, Aaron C. Davis, and Alice Crites revealed that Phillips was not a victim, but a journalist working for “Veritas” — a conservative media outlet which claims to oppose what it calls “media bias.” The most convincing tip-off? A Go Fund Me page discovered by Crites created by user Jaime Phillips. The fundraiser, dating back to May 2017, has a description which reads: “I’m moving to New York! I’ve accepted a job to work in the conservative media movement to combat the lies and deceit of the liberal MSM.”
Phillip’s actions can be considered emblematic of the concerted, Conservative effort to inject misinformation into news cycles. Most importantly, false testimonies seriously undermine the narratives of Moore’s survivors. They damage the credibility of women like Beverly Young Nelson, Gena Richardson, and Leigh Corfman — women targeted by a predator who leveraged his position as Assistant District Attorney to cultivate coercive relationships. Women whose advocacy has already been attacked by Moore’s powerful support base which includes President Donald Trump, Governor Kay Ivey, and Alabama’s GOP Chairman Terry Lathan.
Phillips has also jeopardized the credibility of all survivors everywhere. Though she calls herself an opponent of bias, her irresponsible journalism has created more bias against those who choose to come forward and speak out against their abusers.
She has made it easier for the public to dismiss what it should pay attention to most.
Let this be a reminder to hold news outlets like Veritas accountable. All journalists, Phillips included, should be held to an ethical standard when it comes to their work. After all, reporters are often the public’s gatekeepers when it comes to events of public interest.
Let this also stand as a reminder that we need to continue listening to survivors. We need to keep believing their narratives even when people like Phillips try to make it difficult to do so.
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