The writer originally flat-out stated the lie in the title, and then edited it and a few other things while keeping the false implication.
So yes, it would be morally justified to shut outfits like this down.
https://www.mediaite.com/media/esquire-corrects-then-retracts-column-wrongly-claiming-george-h-w-bush-pardoned-his-son-neil/
O
