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freddybobs68k ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Seth_Rich

"On May 15, 2017, Fox 5 DC reported the uncorroborated claims by Rod Wheeler, a former homicide detective and Fox News contributor, that there was evidence Seth Rich had contacted WikiLeaks and that law enforcement were covering this up;[26][27] claims which was never independently verified by Fox.[28] The next day, while other news organizations were extensively covering Donald Trump's revelation of classified information to Russia, Fox News published a lead story on its website and provided extensive coverage on its cable news channel about what it said were Wheeler's uncorroborated claims about the murder of Seth Rich.[28][29][27][30] In reporting these claims, the Fox News report re-ignited right-wing conspiracy theories about the killing.[24][28][27]

Other news organizations revealed that Wheeler was a Donald Trump supporter, and according to NBC News had "developed a reputation for making outlandish claims, such as one appearance on Fox News in 2007 in which he warned that underground networks of pink pistol-toting lesbian gangs were raping young women."[24][31] The family of Seth Rich, the Washington D.C. police department, the Washington D.C. mayor's office, the FBI, and law enforcement sources familiar with the case, rebuked Wheeler's claims.[24][29] The family said, "We are a family who is committed to facts, not fake evidence that surfaces every few months to fill the void and distract law enforcement and the general public from finding Seth's murderers."[24] The spokesperson for the family criticized Fox News for its reporting, alleging that the outlet was motivated by a desire to deflect attention from the Trump-Russia story: "I think there’s a very special place in hell for people that would use the memory of a murder victim in order to pursue a political agenda."[30]

Over the course of the day, Fox News altered the contents of the story and the headline.[28] When CNN contacted Wheeler later that day, he said that he had no evidence that Rich had contacted Wikileaks.[27] Wheeler claimed that he only learned about the possible existence of the evidence from a Fox News reporter.[27] Fox News did not respond to inquiries by CNN, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post.[27][28][29]"