As tragedy on Canfield Mountain unfolded, so did misinformation

Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif, left, and Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Chief Chris Way address media regarding the two firefighters who were killed and a third shot during last week’s ambush. Misinformation swirled around on social media as the situation unfolded. Photo by Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review

Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review
As reports of last week’s fire on Canfield Mountain and the subsequent ambush of firefighters began to flow, misinformation began spreading almost faster than the flames themselves.

North Idaho residents reported reading inaccurate updates on critical details of the shooting, including the number of victims, the number of perpetrators and the identities of those involved.

“When people are scared, they will jump to conclusions. People will find the worst possible outcome in their head because it’s just where the human brain goes,” said Coeur d’Alene native Elam Pack. “It’s important in these situations to wait for an official report and not just trust word of mouth, because it’s so easy for misinformation to spread and cause panic.”

Traci Gillig, an assistant professor of communications at Washington State University, said misinformation related to breaking news typically comes from people who have large online followings but are not true journalists. 

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