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[ [link removed] ]Free Press
<p><em>We are deeply saddened by the tragic wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, which have also impacted members of our own team. Our thoughts are with all those affected — we stand in solidarity with our staff, their families and the entire community during this difficult time.</em></p>

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We are deeply saddened by the tragic wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, which have also impacted members of our own team. Our thoughts are with all those affected — we stand in solidarity with our staff, their families and the entire community during this difficult time.

Friend,

As wildfires ravage the Los Angeles area, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are posting disinformation on social media to politicize the most destructive disaster in the city’s history.

It’s gotten so bad that officials focused on fighting the fires have been forced to divert resources to confronting the scourge of lies.

In this case, the incoming president and his billionaire sidekick are blaming California Governor Gavin Newsom for the spread of the flames, exploiting the catastrophic loss of property and life to score cheap points against a political rival. This is hardly the first time Musk and Trump have spread lies on social media[1] to serve their autocratic agendas.

In reality, the spread of Los Angeles’ fires resulted from a recent dry spell combined with very high winds. Lies about efforts to extinguish the resulting flames only disrupt the fight to get them under control and rush aid to people who need it most.

The sad truth is that relief efforts responding to the fires and other catastrophes must now include a robust team of fact checkers to beat back the sorts of disinformation that potentially put lives at risk.

Emergency-management officials occasionally release statements attempting to counter the spread of disaster-related conspiracies[2] ... but these efforts cannot compete with the massive social-media followings of megalomaniacs like Musk and Trump.

Local, state and federal governments must do even more to help separate fact from fiction. It’s not enough to debunk the lies: Fact checkers must confront the liars on their own turf and break through the noise with easily digestible digital content like infographics and short videos.

Tragedies like what we’re seeing in Los Angeles are an ongoing reality of the climate crisis, an issue that itself has become a victim of rampant disinformation. And despite Mark Zuckerberg’s self-dealing[3] claims and capitulation, fact checking is not a form of censorship or bias, but an effort to bring accountability to people who seek to leverage emergencies for political gain.

When you encounter questionable content on social media, consider our guide to confronting misinformation.

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Thank you,

Tim and the rest of us at Free Press

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1. “Poll Workers Are Heroes in the Fight Against Musk's Lies,” Free Press, Nov. 4, 2024

2. “Myths vs. Facts Regarding FEMA Disaster Assistance,” FEMA, Jan. 2, 2025

3. “Meta's Abandonment of Content Moderation and Fact Checking Points to a Chilling New Era of Big Tech Capitulation,” Free Press, Jan. 7, 2025