I have no idea how any newspaper handled the fax. Consider they could have simply published it with a note saying it was received from Marvin Steen. You must remember it was on the builder association letterhead and signed by the president. Newspapers receive such material all the time. They have no reason to believe such correspondence is anything but legitimate. In the best of all worlds a newspaper would call and verify the validity of every piece of correspondence received, including letters to the editor.

Hopefully, those newspapers that did publish it will have a correction/retraction in the next issue.