I’ve been on social media for many years, and one of the most persistent things that has irked me has been all the times I’ve noticed leftist influencers with large followings posting information that either isn’t true or is very misleading.
Most often, it has happened through video clips of a Republican politician or conservative commentator giving their opinion in an interview. The influencer would post the video and what they framed as a quote from the person in the clip. But then you’d watch it and see that either no such thing was said or that it was cut off and taken out of context to mean something different from what the influencer was trying to push.
In other instances, they’d share a link to a story and would include what they wanted you to think was a “gotcha” quote from the piece. But then you’d go read the article and realize that, again, the person and the story being told were taken out of context.
Unfortunately, that’s still happening. Also unfortunate has been the growing number of political influencers on the right who are engaging in posting misinformation, not just about political figures but also current events.
The most recent instance came last week, when it was reported that DeCarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in the murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard the Charlotte light rail system last August, had been found “incapable to proceed” on the state murder charge.
Almost immediately, conservative influencers with large followings used the information to provoke outrage by insinuating or suggesting that Brown would never have to stand trial. Further, they rushed to blame judges for the “incapable to proceed” finding.
None of it was true. First and foremost, judges had nothing to do with the finding. What happened was that Brown’s defense attorney filed a motion April 7, noting that his client had undergone a competency evaluation at Central Regional Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in North Carolina, last December. It was one of their clinicians who issued the finding, not a judge.
The attorney filed the motion in order to request a six-month delay for what is called the “critical stage” hearing, which is currently set for the end of the month, because Brown is in federal custody on federal charges stemming from the case. The defense attorney and state prosecutors understand the “critical stage” hearing can’t be conducted while he’s in federal custody.
While a judge has yet to rule on the motion, even if they do delay the next hearing, that doesn’t mean Brown will never be tried on the state charge. The state could opt to request treatment that potentially could lead to Brown being capable of standing trial at the state level, but it isn’t something they can do while he’s still in federal custody.
And regarding the federal charges, the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina clarified that “Brown is in federal custody on a federal indictment. The state proceedings, including any competency finding in those proceedings, are completely separate.”
There are many layers to this case, especially with there being charges at the state and federal levels. But all this information was out there before the influencers posted what they did, and the result of all the misinformation was unnecessary panic among people who understandably want justice for Zarutska.
I get that people are eager to see justice done. We all want that. But the facts are important, and anyone responsible for informing the public has an obligation to get it right to the best of their ability. Not doing so is a disservice to the public and, most of all, her family.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
