Aftermath of bridge collapse includes plenty of false information
In the early morning hours on Tuesday, a container ship crashed into a pillar holding up the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, as a construction crew was working on the bridge. Two members of that crew were rescued but six other workers are missing and presumed dead, according to the Associated Press.
The FBI and Maryland’s top federal prosecutor said there was no evidence the bridge collapse was an act of terrorism. But that didn’t stop fake news about the tragedy from spreading on social media.
One post links Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law Angela Chao to the ship, named Dali, owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., based in Singapore.
Chao, 50, died Feb. 10 after backing her Tesla into a pond in Texas while intoxicated. Her death was ruled an accident. She is the younger sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who was transportation secretary under former President Donald Trump.
“(Chao) was the CEO of the shipping company that owned the massive cargo ship that hit the Key Bridge & caused its collapse just 24+ hours ago,” read a post on X, which concludes, “Did this bridge collapse happen on purpose & was Angela Chao killed bc she stumbled upon the real plot?”
Chao was in the shipping business, but she had nothing to do with that ship, the AP said. She was the head of Foremost Group, her family’s shipping business based in New York. She also served as president of her father’s charitable organization, The Foremost Foundation.
A different post focuses on the person steering the container ship.
“You won’t believe who is the captain of the ship that collapsed the bridge in Baltimore,” reads an X post. “The captain of the container ship Dali, who demolished the bridge today. Francis Scott, is a Ukrainian.”
Although information about the captain has not been released, there is no evidence to support this claim, according to PolitiFact. The ship’s crew was from India.
“I can confirm, all 22 crew members on board the ship were Indian nationals,” Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, the Singapore company that manages the ship, told PolitiFact.
The post includes a screenshot from a website with details about people who have worked on the ship. Information on the site showed a Ukrainian man was captain of Dali for about five months in 2016.
A more explosive claim making the rounds on the internet suggests the bridge was actually blown up.
“Alternate angle on Francis Scott Key bridge shows a large explosion,” reads an X post that includes a video of cars driving on a bridge when suddenly a ball of fire engulfs the road and the structure shakes.
But this clip isn’t from the Baltimore bridge disaster, according to the AP. The video is security footage from 2022 showing a partial collapse of the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea.
An Instagram reel uses new video along with that 2022 clip, PolitiFact said. The post shows actual footage of the Key Bridge being hit and dropping into the water before switching to the 2022 video as a narrator says, “They demolished the bridge, people… Distraction story again.”
Trump not seeking actors
In a recent post, it appears former President Donald Trump is looking for actors to take part in his rallies.
“Actors needed (Phoenix Convention Center),” reads a screenshot of a Craigslist ad in a March 25 Facebook post. “Actors/help needed for event tomorrow from 2-11pm. $15 per hour. Duties include protest activity and holding signs that are Pro Trump. Minorities welcome and needed! Looking to fill about 500 spots.”
But this is not a real ad, according to Reuters. This ad doesn’t appear on the actual Craigslist “talent gigs” pages. There were also no scheduled Trump rallies in Phoenix during March.
Similar fake ads seeking actors to play Trump supporters have previously shown up on social media in 2017 (offering $10 per hour), 2019 and 2020.
Biden not ending Social Security
A recent post claims President Joe Biden has made some major changes to federal benefits.
“President Biden signs an executive order to terminate Social Security, SSI (Supplemental Security Insurance), bans side hustle. This bill will take action in June 12, 2024,” reads the text over a video in the post showing Biden speaking.
If you haven’t heard of this executive order, it’s because it didn’t actually happen, according to PolitiFact. The video is of Biden talking in October 2021 about raising the debt ceiling.
The only mention of Social Security during that speech is when he said “every Social Security beneficiary” would be at risk of losing the benefit if Congress didn’t act to keep the government open.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.