📧 TO/OL: Retraction or FCC
*The following is an email I sent on January 28, 2025 to Vice President Therese Bottomly, Politics Co-Editor Betsy Hammond, and reporters Lizzy Acker and Aimee Green.
The Oregonian published false information that, unless publicly retracted, calls for a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
An April 25, 2017 article penned by Lizzy Acker contained three references to "hate crime," which is false.
The first is in the headline, "Marine charged with hate crime in attack at Portland Iraqi restaurant."
The second reference was the entire second paragraph, "One of those charges is a bias/hate crime in Oregon."
The third is attributed to Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer SGT Pete Simpson, falsely calling ORS 166.155 "a bias/hate crime law in Oregon."
A March 2, 2018 article by Aimee Green, "Marine who hit Iraqi restaurant employee with chair avoids prison," repeated these false claims twice;
the attacker was never "charged with a hate crime"
the attacker never pled "guilty to a hate crime"
I have confirmed with the Multnomah District Attorney's office that there are no hate crimes in the state of Oregon. The only hate crimes law enforceable in the state of Oregon is the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. No federal charges were brought against the attacker, a "serviceman" protected by HCPA at the time, a fact both reporters conveniently omitted.
If there is no public retraction, including an apology to the defamed, by 17:00 Friday, January 31, 2025, I will initiate an FCC complaint.
Even if you took the lead from PPD, a matter I am pursuing separately, you published information the DA has confirmed to be false. Think of your reputation, if not your legal liability. Defaming veterans is dispicable and cruel, journalists should hold themselves to a higher standard than tabloids.
