Misinformation has reared its ugly head yet again. This time in Portland, Oregon.
According to Politifact, KXL Radio was accused by a Facebook poster of reporting that firefighters were being shot at by suspected Antifa and BLM members. The Facebook post was shared thousands of times before being flagged by the social media company in an attempt to reduce the spread of fake news.
KXL’s news director Jim Ferretti initially asked the user to delete the post, stating “At no time did KXL News report what is stated above.” The station’s popular talk show host Lars Larson did discuss Black Lives Matter and Antifa on the air, mentioning that people believe a lot of what they read on the internet about activists intentionally setting fires. He also asked the audience to vote on a Twitter poll to determine if they believed in a tie between northwest wildfire arson and BLM/Antifa groups.
“At this point I don’t have the evidence to say yes to that one,” Larson commented. He added “I know that disappoints a lot of you, but I believe in an evidence-based show. But you can answer the poll anyway you like.”
Politifact checked into the story and spoke further with Ferretti about the situation. He told the site “I was made aware of the Facebook post on Saturday. I immediately responded from my personal Facebook account that the post is 100% false. At no time has KXL News reported that firefighters battling Oregon’s wildfires have been shot at by anyone.”
