MSNBC reporter Manny Fidel swiftly fact-checked Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty after Finnerty claimed he "couldn't find any" dolls that looked like his young daughter during a visit to the American Girl store in Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Finnerty said he couldn’t find a single doll that resembled his “cute little 6-year-old White girl" and accused the store of being "wokeified"—a common attack from conservatives who complain about any diversity and any efforts to raise a broader awareness of prejudice and discrimination.
Fidel took it upon himself to fact-check Finnerty's claims and found—during his own visit to the same store—Finnerty simply made the whole thing up.
You can see Fidel's fact-check in the video below.
Indeed, the "literal first doll that you see when you walk into the store," Fidel noted, is a smiling White doll with blonde pigtails. As he walked through the store, he came across a multitude of White American Girl dolls.
There were so many in fact, Fidel remarked while the store has “thrown in some other races,” a “great portion” of the dolls on display in the store are White. A simple fact-check showed Finnerty was blatantly lying to Newsmax's conspiratorial base—feeding their Great Replacement conspiracy theory paranoia.
People swiftly criticized Finnerty and Newsmax for pushing a bold racist lie.
American Girl has not released an official statement in response to Finnerty's claim or MSNBC's fact-check.
That said, even if Finnerty's claim had been true, it's not like he or his daughter wouldn't be able to find the American Girl doll of her dreams.
American Girl gives shoppers the option to make fully customizable versions for just $220. The company's "create your own" module lets people select a starter doll and adjust their face, hair, eyes, clothing and accesories to their choosing, ensuring that every child has a doll just the way they want them.
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