False Story Claims 'ABC Information Whistleblower' Died in Automobile Crash

Within the days following the Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. presidential debate introduced by ABC Information, on-line customers shared a rumor claiming a purported “ABC Information whistleblower” died in a automobile crash. The rumor steered ABC Information offered U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris with the moderators’ questions previous to the televised occasion, giving her an unfair benefit towards former President Donald Trump.

Nevertheless, the rumor claiming a whistleblower from the information channel died in a automobile crash was false. Additional, now we have but to uncover any credible proof of the existence of a “whistleblower” releasing an genuine “report” or “affidavit” concerning such a declare, nor did we find dependable information suggesting Harris acquired debate questions prematurely.

The Daily Beast reported that an ABC Information spokesperson denied the rumor concerning the community offering Harris with questions. “Completely not,” the spokesperson mentioned, including, “Harris was not given any questions earlier than the controversy.”

The False Rumor Unfold on X

As one instance of how this rumor unfold on-line, on Sept. 13, an account on X named Retro Coast (@RetroCoast) posted (archived): “Breaking: The ABC Information whistleblower who revealed Kamala Harris was given the controversy questions prematurely has DIED in an auto accident. The crash occurred early on the morning of September 13 exterior Bethesda #Maryland.” The submit had greater than 300,000 views.

Other users mentioned the rumor on X, together with one Sept. 14 post (archived) that acquired greater than 3.3 million views.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene Shared It

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., additionally posted (archived) on Sept. 15, “The ABC whistleblower who claimed Kamala Harris was given debate questions forward of the controversy has died in a automobile crash in accordance with information reviews.”

Greene didn’t cite any sources. As a substitute, she merely shared hypothesis in a submit seen by hundreds of thousands of customers.

Hours after Greene’s submit, she clarified in a second post (archived), “This story seems to be false and I am glad to listen to it. We want a critical investigation into the whistleblower’s report that Kamala Harris was given debate questions forward of time from ABC!”

Greene’s historical past of sharing both false or unfounded rumors additionally included promoting the Qanon conspiracy theory, questioning the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, falsely claiming George Floyd died of a drug overdose, spouting 9/11 conspiracy theories and baselessly suggesting the Rothschilds, a Jewish banking household, have been part of a conspiracy concerning “lasers or blue beams of sunshine” began the 2018 California wildfires.

The Supply of the Rumor

An X “group notice” displayed underneath Greene’s preliminary submit mentioned the rumor concerning the automobile crash loss of life originated in an article printed on a generic weblog on Sept. 13. The weblog’s title confirmed as Bgrnd Search or Background Searched Articles and was hosted on CountyLocalNews.com — an internet site having nothing to do with a particular U.S. county or native information.

The web site displayed no writer names aside from “admin” and featured rip-off commercials and unfinished template parts on the backside of each web page, together with the phrases “customized footer textual content left” and “customized footer textual content proper.” We emailed the web site’s proprietor or homeowners to ask questions. Quickly after, one of many homeowners eliminated the story from the web site. We didn’t but obtain any solutions to our e mail.

The looks of the article steered its creator probably used an artificial-intelligence software to write down it. The article started:

So, a bombshell revelation has simply hit the information cycle that has despatched shockwaves by means of the political world. An ABC Information whistleblower who uncovered that Kamala Harris was given debate questions prematurely has tragically handed away in a automobile accident. The incident occurred within the early hours of September 13 exterior Bethesda, Maryland.

The information of the whistleblower’s loss of life has sparked a flurry of hypothesis and conspiracy theories on-line. Many are questioning the circumstances surrounding the accident and whether or not foul play was concerned. Some are even suggesting that the whistleblower could have been focused due to the data they revealed about Harris.

This tragic flip of occasions has reignited debates about media ethics and the function of whistleblowers in our society. It serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that people take after they come ahead with delicate data that might doubtlessly injury highly effective figures.

The timing of the whistleblower’s loss of life is especially eerie, coming simply days after the preliminary report about Harris receiving debate questions prematurely. The incident has raised eyebrows and led to requires an intensive investigation into what actually occurred.

One consumer on X mentioned the creator of the false rumor probably primarily based the story on a real bus crash occurring in Maryland on Sept. 13 — the identical date talked about within the false article.

The Associated Press‘ account of the crash mentioned the matter concerned a senior residing facility’s bus and a dump truck, with the bus driver and two bus passengers dying on account of the incident. The reporting talked about nothing of ABC Information or a “whistleblower.” Additional, this actual crash occurred within the settlement of Nanjemoy, which is not located near Bethesda — the town featured within the doubtful web site’s story.

Sources