The Untruthful Portrayal of Portland on Fox News Before Trump Deployed Troops
President Donald Trump's claim that he was compelled to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, due to the chaos and violence he witnessed on television is a misrepresentation. In reality, Fox News had already distorted the truth about the situation in the city months before Trump's remarks.
The evening of September 4th, Fox News aired a segment highlighting protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland. The network repeatedly used footage from 2020 protests to depict ongoing unrest, despite the fact that those protests had ended months prior. This footage was often taken out of context, with Fox News editors blurring out graffiti on buildings or changing dates to mislead viewers.
When Trump announced his decision to send National Guard troops, he described Portland as "living in hell," but provided no specific details about what he had seen. He later claimed that Oregon's governor, Tina Kotek, told him that the situation was like World War II, and that local residents were too afraid to speak out against the violence.
However, ProPublica's examination of Fox News' coverage found several instances where the network provided a misleading picture of what was happening in Portland. The segment on September 4th mislabeled footage from 2020 protests as taking place in 2025, and portrayed protesters as instigating violent clashes with federal officers without context.
In reality, most clashes between protesters and police did not result in arrests or charges against the protesters. Instead, it was often the federal officers who used force, including pepper spray and batons, on peaceful protesters. The city's police chief later stated that Portland had been inaccurately portrayed through the lens of 2020 protests.
Fox News continued to misrepresent the situation after Trump deployed National Guard troops. A broadcast on September 28th cut between footage of Governor Kotek stating that Guard troops were not needed in Portland and a clip of protesters clashing with police, without indicating that the footage was from Illinois, not Oregon.
The distorted portrayal of events by Fox News raises serious concerns about media bias and its impact on public perception. It also highlights the need for greater accountability from news organizations and their correspondents to accurately report on events as they unfold.
As Portland residents continue to navigate the aftermath of Trump's deployment of National Guard troops, it is essential to understand the context and accuracy of the information being presented in the media. By examining the evidence and separating fact from fiction, we can work towards a more informed and nuanced discussion about this critical issue.
President Donald Trump's claim that he was compelled to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, due to the chaos and violence he witnessed on television is a misrepresentation. In reality, Fox News had already distorted the truth about the situation in the city months before Trump's remarks.
The evening of September 4th, Fox News aired a segment highlighting protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland. The network repeatedly used footage from 2020 protests to depict ongoing unrest, despite the fact that those protests had ended months prior. This footage was often taken out of context, with Fox News editors blurring out graffiti on buildings or changing dates to mislead viewers.
When Trump announced his decision to send National Guard troops, he described Portland as "living in hell," but provided no specific details about what he had seen. He later claimed that Oregon's governor, Tina Kotek, told him that the situation was like World War II, and that local residents were too afraid to speak out against the violence.
However, ProPublica's examination of Fox News' coverage found several instances where the network provided a misleading picture of what was happening in Portland. The segment on September 4th mislabeled footage from 2020 protests as taking place in 2025, and portrayed protesters as instigating violent clashes with federal officers without context.
In reality, most clashes between protesters and police did not result in arrests or charges against the protesters. Instead, it was often the federal officers who used force, including pepper spray and batons, on peaceful protesters. The city's police chief later stated that Portland had been inaccurately portrayed through the lens of 2020 protests.
Fox News continued to misrepresent the situation after Trump deployed National Guard troops. A broadcast on September 28th cut between footage of Governor Kotek stating that Guard troops were not needed in Portland and a clip of protesters clashing with police, without indicating that the footage was from Illinois, not Oregon.
The distorted portrayal of events by Fox News raises serious concerns about media bias and its impact on public perception. It also highlights the need for greater accountability from news organizations and their correspondents to accurately report on events as they unfold.
As Portland residents continue to navigate the aftermath of Trump's deployment of National Guard troops, it is essential to understand the context and accuracy of the information being presented in the media. By examining the evidence and separating fact from fiction, we can work towards a more informed and nuanced discussion about this critical issue.
I'm telling you, this whole thing is a masterclass in how not to cover a story! Fox News was already spinning the narrative in Portland's favor months before Trump even stepped foot there 
. And now we're supposed to believe that Trump really didn't know what he was talking about? Come on! 
. And those claims about Oregon's governor telling him the situation was like World War II? 
Give me a break! It's all just a bunch of misinformation to push their own agenda.
. I mean, have you seen the footage from those protests? People were literally chanting "Black Lives Matter" and "We stand with the Black community" 
. You can't even show that on Fox News because it would expose their own bias 
.
. Otherwise, we're just going to keep living in a world where "alternative facts" are more important than actual truth 
. They definitely played a role in shaping public perception of Portland, especially with all those manipulated videos from 2020 protests being aired months later 
.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Fox News just completely twisted the narrative on Portland! Like, months before Trump even deployed troops, they were already airing footage from 2020 protests like it was happening in real-time. And then Trump comes along and says he saw Portland as "living in hell" without any specifics... 
It's clear that Fox News is just trying to create some drama and fuel the fire of outrage.
. We need to be extra vigilant when consuming news and make sure we're not getting fed a bunch of half-truths and propaganda 
Fox News has got some 'splainin' to do about their Portland coverage 