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Fact Checking a Denzel Washington Quote
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Fact Checking a Denzel Washington Quote

The actor said something nearly identical to a quote attributed to him in a viral meme.

A viral Facebook post claims to quote actor Denzel Washington saying, “If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed. If you do read the news, you’re misinformed.”

The line is famous as an apocryphal quote from Mark Twain, but unlike in the case of the famous Tom Sawyer author, there is actually evidence that Washington uttered the words (or something very close to them).

In response to being asked about a fake news story claiming he was voting for Donald Trump in 2016, Washington replied: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.” (Video of the exchange can be found here.)

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Alec Dent is a former culture editor and staff writer for The Dispatch.

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