> 3. Journalist reports that Person A said X and that Facebook removed it.
Alternative: Journalist claims that Person A said Y and that Facebook removed it. Person A is unable to disclaim it because every time they repeat X it gets taken down and misreported as Y. The public are none the wiser.
1. Person A says X on Facebook.
2. Facebook removes Person A's post.
3. Journalist reports that Person A said X and that Facebook removed it.
Why would Person A suddenly disclaim X? They want X to be heard, which is why they said it on Facebook in the first place.
And again, there are ways to archive digital content even if its original source has been taken down.