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in General Factchecking by Novice (940 points)
Donald Trump recently, in a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, said dogs were being eaten in Ohio. This sparked a lot of media attention. Most claim this was false, as there is no information about this event happening. Others claim this event has occurred and is sparking outrage in Ohio communities. I belive it is fake but possible people eat animals anywhere. I thing regardless of how valid those claims are Trump regrets bringing it up.

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by Novice (610 points)
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The Columbus Dispatch is a reputable news source that investigated whether Trumps claim was true or not. It proved to be false. Reporters spoke with Haitian migrants and police officers and determined there was no evidence linking Haitian migrants with eating dogs in Springfield, Ohio.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2024/09/11/truth-fact-check-people-eating-dogs-springfield-ohio-trump-vance-harris-debate/75171964007/
False
by Apprentice (1.2k points)
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I appreciate the concise response to the answer, as well as providing an article directly from the city newspaper where the incident took place. It keeps the confusion away and allows for the appropriate response to deliberate misinformation.
by Novice (710 points)
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I agree. It's good to see that The Columbus Dispatch, a trusted news source, took the time to investigate this claim. It's important that reporters spoke directly with Haitian migrants and police officers in Springfield to get to the bottom of it. There’s no evidence to support the claim about Haitian migrants eating dogs. This is a clear reminder of how crucial it is to rely on credible sources and thorough investigations when evaluating such serious allegations.
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by Novice (600 points)

The claim that In springfield Ohio they are eating dogs is likely misinformation. The Springfield News-Sun, a news station based out of Springfield Ohio reported that the Springfield Police said this was not something they were concerned about. 

Sources: 

https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-police-say-no-reports-of-pets-stolen-after-viral-social-media-post/3WSIZQNHQVE4NP4TS5BVHBB2PY/

by Novice (590 points)
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I appreciate the short and concise fact check. However, I was wondering if you could give more specifics regarding who has denounced this story. IF there is any evidence that could have led people to believe this? You said it was not something to be concerned about but is it something that is happening or has happened?
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by Newbie (340 points)

In a podcast between Leila Fadel (NPR) and Governor Mike DeWine from Ohio, the governor explains how the mayor of Springfield reports of no credible evidence of the claims Trump has made regarding dogs being eaten in Springfield. Rather he directs the conversation towards the real issue surrounding the Haitian immigrants such as health problems and how that affects the rest of the Springfield population. However, DeWine supports the fact that those who have worked with Haitian workers have said they are hardworking. Ultimately, these false rumors spread about fogs being eaten in Springfield, supposedly by the Haitian immigrants, cannot be supported by any evidence. 

https://www.npr.org/2024/09/12/nx-s1-5108689/ohio-governor-pushes-back-on-trumps-false-claims-about-immigrants-in-his-state

False
by Newbie (440 points)
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I thought you answered this very clearly and credibly! I would add that an issue with these unsupported and harmful claims being thrown out by huge politicians has many negative impacts. Firstly, the misinformation is racially driven and said in attempts to kick hard working immigrants out of a country, and further add fire to the polarization between immigrants and American citizens. Secondly, well known politicians making such broad claims without any real consequences sets a dangerous precedent for the information that circulates, and makes politicians, reporters, and neighbors less trustworthy.
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by Newbie (300 points)
Donald Trump claimed during a debate with Vice President Harris that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating "the pets of people who live there." These claims are baseless collectively, and are simply dehumanizing claims about immigrants. The police themselves say that these claims aren't credible.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77l28myezko
False
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by Newbie (440 points)

This claim is false, and racially motivated to paint Haitian immigrants in a negative or animalistic light. I research this claim said by Donald Trump in the debate with Kamala and went to the direct video of the event as well a CBS article about the impacts of the claim and found more about why this was said, and why it's resonating with people. In the original claim, Trump says that immigrants are eating cats and dogs of Ohio families, and in the CBS article we find that this quote has generated more publicity than the real world implications of immigration. The article talks about how many of the Haitian immigrants are there legally and have been working very hard and also mentions how the city has had issues in sudden overpopulation with the stark increase of immigrants. The article argues that these are the facts of immigration we should be talking about, but these false claims that harm the republication of immigrants are taking up space in the media's conversation and are not productive, because even when debunked Trump supporters often still believe in them. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubio-cats-dogs-springfield-ohio-immigration/

False
by Newbie (230 points)
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This is a great summary of what happened and how misinformation gets disseminated. I think it speaks to a greater issue of how easy it can be to defame a specific group or minority and how fast it can spread. The sensationalism of this topic due to the election was also a major issue and the CBS article you linked supports that too.

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