Newsmax Uses Davenport Tragedy To Push Ukraine War Disinformation

A right-wing media outlet capitalized on the tragic partial-building collapse in Davenport by claiming it was a Moscow building struck by drones from Ukraine.

Greta Van Susteren, host of the Newsmax show “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” showed a few shots of the Davenport building and said, “This morning in Moscow, a city of 21 million people, there was a pre-dawn attack. Drone struck several buildings.”

While she said this, AP footage of the six-story apartment building at 324 Main Street in Davenport, Iowa, played. The disinformation was flagged by Media Matters For America, who grabbed video of the broadcast as did several Twitter users.

So, @greta & @NEWSMAX ran a propaganda piece where they showed a “Russian building that had been destroyed by Ukrainian drone strikes” except that the Russian building purportedly attacked by a drone in their story is actually a building that collapsed in…Davenport, Iowa. pic.twitter.com/Sk4FoDQE9H

— C.J. Petersen 🏳️‍🌈 🌽 (@cjforiowa) May 31, 2023

On Sunday evening, part of the Davenport building collapsed, trapping people in rubble, displacing residents, and prompting rescue efforts. As of publication, and as of the Newsmax broadcast, five people are still unaccounted for, and two of whom are suspected to still be in the building.

Seven people were rescued on Sunday. Another person was rescued hours after city officials said they believed the building was empty and demolition plans had been announced. That announcement, and the suspicion two people were in the building, prompted outcry and a protest outside the building.

Demolition plans have been put on hold.

The exact cause of the collapse is unclear, but residents said they weren’t surprised because the building wasn’t maintained and issues such as mold and water problems were often ignored by management.

A couple, one of whom was trapped in the rubble and had her leg amputated, said they noticed cracks spreading over their bathroom door on their fourth-floor apartment right before the collapse.

There was an attack in Moscow early on Tuesday morning, but three residential buildings were lightly scored or had windows broken. None had collapsed, and the mayor of Moscow said some residents were evacuated but no one was seriously injured.

The Russian government blames Ukraine, but Ukraine has denied involvement. Moscow is about 310 miles away from the Ukrainian border, and this is the first time drones have hit residential areas of the city, according to the New York Times.

Nikoel Hytrek
5/31/23

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