Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's Reddit post endorsed killing
Resurfaced Reddit posts show Platner advocating political violence and making other controversial comments.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYFox News is an established national outlet with named reporters and newsroom resources, though it is a partisan organization. The article attributes the central material to posts and includes a note that Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
- Source type — Established national outlet, with a partisan editorial identity.
- Editorial standards — The report attributes statements to posts and records an attempt to obtain campaign comment.
- Author attribution — A named author is identified.
The report supplies quoted material, dates and campaign context, and notes both Platner’s apology and comments that cut against the article’s critical focus. The campaign did not respond, and the article offers limited independent context for the resurfaced posts.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article primarily presents damaging statements and associations, while also including Platner’s general apology and comments supporting gay rights and opposing racism. It provides little direct response to the specific post at the center of the report.
- Counterarguments presented — Platner’s general apology and some countervailing comments are included, but no specific response to the central post appears.
- Source diversity — The report relies mainly on Platner’s posts and offers no outside expert or competing interpretation.
- Framing — The story gives extended attention to adverse material and less to mitigating context.
The article emphasizes Platner’s most inflammatory comments and repeatedly foregrounds his left-wing affiliations, producing a right-leaning critical frame. It does include his apology and some comments that complicate the portrayal.
- Framing — The report centers a violent statement and connects it to a wider set of controversial posts.
- Language tone — The headline and article use charged language and emphasize Platner’s left-wing identity.
- Source selection — The campaign’s lack of response is noted, but no other substantive response is included.
A newly surfaced 2013 Reddit post by Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner said that, for the sake of tolerance, people sometimes need to be killed. The report also describes other resurfaced posts and Platner’s general apology for his past comments.
Fox News reports that Platner made the statement in September 2013 while responding to a blog post about Antifa protesters attacking a Greek far-right party’s offices. The article also says that, in later Reddit posts, Platner described himself as a socialist and communist and said he belonged to a local Socialist Rifle Association chapter.
The article says Platner has apologized generally for thousands of controversial and vulgar posts, saying they do not reflect who he is today and asking people not to judge him by his worst online comments. It also notes that his comments included support for gay rights and opposition to racism, that Janet Mills left the Democratic Senate primary, and that polling generally showed Platner ahead of incumbent Susan Collins.
Community verdict
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People in this story
SWIPE →Maine Senate candidate whose resurfaced Reddit posts are the subject of the report
Republican senator from Maine seeking reelection
President of the United States, cited as an example of a Republican Platner called a fascist
Maine governor and former Democratic Senate primary candidate
Part of a bigger story
22 OUTLETSOutlets agree NESN pulled Platner’s campaign ad criticizing Red Sox ownership and private equity during a game, citing an intellectual-property issue. Left-leaning outlets highlight questions about the removal, while a separate article endorses Platner over Susan Collins. Center outlets pair NESN’s explanation with Platner’s response and describe his use of the episode in his campaign. Right-leaning outlets often place the ad episode alongside scrutiny of Platner’s past posts or tattoo, including Dave Portnoy’s criticism.
- ARTICLES
- 26
- OUTLETS
- 22
- AVG CRED
- 64
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