The Seattle Times recently found itself facing criticism after contradicting its own reporting in an attempt to fact-check Donald Trump’s statements about the 2020 protests in Seattle.
The controversy sparked a community note on social media, pointing out the inconsistency in the newspaper’s claims.
The Times shared an article on X (formerly Twitter) in response to Trump’s comments made during the recent presidential debate.
When asked if he had any regrets over the events of January 6, 2021, Trump replied that he did not.
He then pivoted to discuss the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, particularly focusing on the protests in cities like Minneapolis and Seattle.
Trump asked, “When are the people that burned down Minneapolis going to be prosecuted or in Seattle? They went into Seattle, they took over a big percentage of the city. When are those people going to be prosecuted?”
The Seattle Times attempted to refute Trump’s claim that protesters had taken over a significant part of the city. The article suggested that Trump was exaggerating the size of the area controlled by protesters in 2020.
However, Trump was referring specifically to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP), also known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a protest zone that spanned roughly six blocks in the heart of Seattle during the summer of 2020.
The CHOP/CHAZ was formed during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests and lasted for several weeks before being disbanded due to escalating violence and lawlessness.
Ironically, the Seattle Times itself had extensively covered the CHOP/CHAZ at the time, even sending reporters to the area.
Its own articles described the zone in detail, acknowledging that protesters had taken control of several city blocks.
This clear contradiction between the paper’s past reporting and its attempt to fact-check Trump did not go unnoticed by readers, leading to a community note being added to the Times’ post on X.
The note clarified that Trump’s reference to the protesters occupying a portion of Seattle was indeed accurate, as the CHOP/CHAZ did span several blocks.
It also pointed out that the Times had previously covered this event, contradicting its current position.
Social media users were quick to criticize the publication for its contradictory reporting. One local resident expressed frustration with the Times, while others pointed out that the newspaper seemed to contradict itself within the same article.
Some users noted the irony that the CHAZ was located just two blocks from the Seattle Times’ offices, making it even more puzzling that the paper would now downplay the significance of the protest zone.
In the end, the community note served as a reminder of the need for consistent and accurate reporting, especially when revisiting past events that were widely covered at the time.
The Seattle Times’ attempt to fact-check Trump on this issue not only backfired but also led to increased scrutiny of its own journalistic practices.
Seattle Times just proved how insane and totally out to lunch these leftist are! They try to live in some alternate reality that their twisted minds concoct! In Seattle and Minneapolis many people were raped and murdered but like Kamala had said during the Summer of Love the demonstrations must continue; while the cities were out of control! That is not leadership it’s total insanity and evil at work!