SATIRE (unless it isn't)
THE HOAX FILES · 30
The Garage Pull Rope
It was a garage pull rope, and the story pulled on everybody.
Media-wide
The FBI sent 15 agents. The "noose" had been there since 2019.
As printed on the graphic:
NASCAR Noose Hoax
CNN's role here was correcting the record, not starting the story.
What they sold
June 21, 2020, Talladega. NASCAR announces that a noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, the Cup Series' only Black full-time driver, weeks after he pushed to ban the Confederate flag. It became a national story about racism in NASCAR overnight.
What the record shows
June 23, 2020. The U.S. Attorney and FBI said Wallace was not the target of a hate crime. Video showed the rope, a garage-door pull tied in a noose shape, had been in Garage No. 4 since at least October 2019, before anyone knew Wallace's team would get that stall. No federal crime, no charges. CNN ran the conclusion: "NASCAR, FBI say Bubba Wallace not target of a hate crime." The FBI said it sent 15 agents (REPORTED).
For the record: Wallace didn't find the rope. A crew member reported it to NASCAR, and NASCAR made the announcement. He is not part of any hoax. The rush to tell the story belongs to NASCAR's announcement and the coverage that followed.
The damage
FNN analysis: in the summer of 2020, any story that fit the moment ran at full speed. A two-day turnaround is fast for a correction, but the first story had already done its job. Gallup's 2020 trust: 40%, with 33% saying "none at all," a record at the time.
Closer
A garage-door rope from 2019 became a national hate crime for 48 hours. Check the garage first.