Melania Trump to Personally Murder Beloved Tree? Not Exactly

CNN was the first to report on December 26, 2017 that the historic magnolia tree on the White House grounds has now become a safety hazard. Note that the headline doesn’t even include Melania Trump.

Exclusive: Iconic White House tree to be cut down (CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/26/politics/white-house-jackson-magnolia-south-facade/index.html

 

As the day wore on, the misleading headlines started to come in. The following specifically mention Melania Trump, a very incidental part of CNN’s original story:

Melania Trump Orders Large Portion Of Historic White House Tree Removed (Huffington Post)

Melania Trump orders removal of 200-year-old tree from White House lawn. (Slate)

Melania Trump orders White House tree from 1800s to be cut down (Independent UK)

Melania Trump Orders Removal of Near-200-Year-Old Tree From White House (Newsweek)

Melania Trump orders removal of historic White House tree (Daily Mail)

Melania Trump Orders White House’s 200-Year-Old “Jackson Magnolia” Tree Cut (Redstate)

Melania Trump orders removal of 200-year-old tree — the oldest at the White House (Raw Story)

Melania Trump Demands 1800s Tree Cut Down On White House Grounds (Inquisitir)

A White House Tree Is Being Cut Down At Melania Trump’s Decision (Elite Daily)

These news outlets leave Melania Trump out of the mix, but readers still found them misleading per Facebook comments:

White House to cut down 200-year-old tree (New York Post)

White House to remove historic Jackson Magnolia (Washington Examiner)

Tree that’s been at White House since 1800s scheduled to be Cut (The Hill)

Historic White House Jackson Magnolia Tree to be Cut Down (US News)

And here are some very fair headlines:

Part of historic Magnolia tree planted by President Andrew Jackson to Be Removed (Fox)

White House to cut back magnolia tree planted by Andrew Jackson (Washington Post)

Part of Jackson Magnolia on South Lawn coming down, White House Coming Down (CBS)

Part of weakened White House magnolia tree to be removed (Boston Herald)

White House to Remove Part of Tree Planted by Andrew Jackson (Time)

And this final headline seems to be most accurate of all:

Part of White House Magnolia tree to be removed for safety – ABC News