Misleading Russian Report on Jon Maravilla’s Flight Goes Viral

Breaking news moves fast, and mistakes are inevitable. In today’s media landscape, one error can spread like wildfire, amplified by outlets worldwide rushing to cover a major story. That’s exactly what happened following the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342, an American Airlines subsidiary, near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.

A false report from a Russian state news agency quickly spiraled into a widely circulated narrative in the U.S. Shortly after midnight Thursday, Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti reported on Telegram that American figure skater Jon Maravilla had been set to board the doomed flight. The claim seemed plausible — many figure skaters and coaches were confirmed to be on board, returning from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. RIA Novosti alleged that Maravilla was denied boarding due to the size of his dog.

Here is a Google Translate version of that:

American figure skater John Maravilla told RIA Novosti that he was not allowed onto the plane that crashed at the airport because of his dog. During registration, the athlete was told that his dog was too big to be carried, so Maravilla ultimately decided to go by car.

That claim was quickly picked up by U.S. outlets, including Newsweek, TMZ, The Daily Beast, KDFW (the Dallas Fox affiliate), and British outlets such as The Times. However, it remains unclear if Maravilla actually “told RIA Novosti” this.

The confusion appears to have stemmed from his own Instagram Stories where he posted an image from inside Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport with the caption, “Not allowed past gate to board flight…get me tf out of Kansas please,” followed by another post reading, “14-hour journey begins.” People on social media started interpreting that as evidence that he was supposed to be on the flight that crashed. One example of that speculation came from the Instagram account fs.delight, as screenshotted by The Daily Beast:

However, as Maravilla later clarified with The Daily Beast in their updated story, he was referencing a completely different flight on a different airline. He explained that his dog’s size was the reason a gate agent denied him boarding for a Delta Air Lines flight to Atlanta, not the flight from Wichita to Washington. This contradicts what Russian media had reported, which claimed he was denied boarding because his dog was too large to travel on the flight to Washington, leading him to depart by car instead.

Maravilla is a native of Virginia, but now lives in the Midwest. He mentioned he was catching a flight to Atlanta before connecting to Detroit and expressed surprise at the false reports regarding his intended travel to Washington. He also expressed devastation over the loss of his friends involved in the crash.

This mix-up can be attributed to the coincidental details surrounding Maravilla’s attendance at the development camp with the fellow passengers, combined with his Instagram posts hinting at being at the airport that night. Yet, these details might not have conclusively pointed to the tragic incident without the erroneous claims made by the news agency.

Nonetheless, skepticism is warranted when considering reports originating from Russian state news agencies. Recently, several misleading reports have emerged from such sources, muddling various narratives. Connecting the dots on such assumptions without thorough verification led to problematic coverage from several media outlets.

While it’s crucial to share stories of those who narrowly missed tragic events, media outlets must diligently verify these claims before amplifying them. Misinformation can originate from various sources, not only Russian outlets; even university press releases have been known to misrepresent vital facts. Hence, it is essential for media to exercise due diligence in confirming sensitive details, especially regarding fatalities, as inaccuracies can easily propagate.