First comes the disinformation…
by Tom Sullivan
First comes the disinformation. Next come the wingnut emails.
The city of Baltimore is preparing for a Friday release of details of Freddie Gray’s injury and death in police custody. “Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday she’s working with Freddie Gray’s family and faith leaders to clear up ‘misinformation’ that could lead to further unrest.”
The Washington Post on Wednesday evening published an article that states that a unidentified prisoner who was also in the back of a police van with Gray claimed he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” and “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”
The prisoner’s tale comes via a police document obtained by the Post, in which the statement is included on an application for a search warrant, which is currently sealed. The prisoner could not actually see Gray, according to the report.
How it plays on Fox: Freddie Gray broke his own back. Coming Up Next: Martin Luther King shot himself.
Then there’s this:
A rumor that Gray had a pre-existing spinal injury from a car accident appears to have originated Tuesday with a blog post on the conservative website thefourthestate.co and then spread to other conservative sites like the Free Republic.
But the Baltimore Sun investigated that rumor:
Online reports are swirling that Freddie Gray had spinal surgery shortly before he died in police custody, and had collected a payout in a settlement from a car accident. Those reports — which raise questions about the injury that led to his death in April 19 — point to Howard County court records as proof.
But court records examined Wednesday by The Baltimore Sun show the case had nothing to do with a car accident or a spine injury. Instead, they are connected to a lawsuit alleging that Gray and his sister were injured by exposure to lead paint.
Paperwork was filed in December allowing Gray and his sister, Fredericka to each collect an $18,000 payment from Peachtree Settlement Funding, records show. In exchange, Peachtree would have received a $108,439 annuity that was scheduled to be paid in $602 monthly installments between 2024 and 2039.
How it plays on Fox: Freddie Gray broke his own back, killing himself as part of an elaborate, failed scheme to get arrested, injure himself while in police custody, then sue the Baltimore Police Department for millions.
And it’s all Obama’s fault, according to Sean Hannity. His channel spews inflammatory disinformation daily that plays to its audience’s worst instincts because it’s profitable and because it sells penis pills and incontinence products.
Maybe Fox News has an opening for a copy writer? It’s the American way.