On January 26th, a man named Kevin Howell drowned in Etna Pond while trying to save his son.
The incident occurred at around 6:30 am when the father and son were on an early morning walk across the pond.
On Friday, January 26th, a man named Kevin Howell drowned in Etna Pond while trying to save his son. The incident occurred at around 6:30 am when the father and son were on an early morning walk across the pond. According to reports from various sources, including News Center Maine and Bangor Daily News, Howell managed to get his son out of the water but was unable to rescue himself before drowning. The cause of death is not yet known.
Kevin Howell drowned after rescuing his 4-year-old son Sawyer from the ice of a Maine pond.
Howell heaved Sawyer out of the frigid waters and instructed him to run back home to get his mother.
Sawyer heroically made the journey to his mother, who called 911 and rushed to help her husband.
The wife tragically broke through the ice herself after securing a rope for Howell's rescue.
Howell had vanished beneath the surface by the time divers arrived.
He was serving as town manager of Carmel at the time of his death, where he received several accolades for his work in town government.
Several town employees changed their Facebook profile pictures to mourn Howell's loss and show support for his family.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(0%)
The article is highly deceptive because it omits important information that would help the reader understand the context and severity of the tragedy. For example, it does not mention that Howell was a town manager who had received several awards for his work in local government or that he was involved in EMS. These details are relevant to show how respected and valued he was by his community and colleagues, as well as to provide some background on why the incident is newsworthy. Additionally, the article does not disclose any sources for its information, which raises questions about its reliability and accuracy.
Howell heaved Sawyer out of the frigid waters, instructing him to run the 0.3 miles back to their Carmel house and get his mother.
The author is Katherine Donlevy
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that Kevin Howell was awarded the town Leadership award in 2020 and served on Maine's second EMS Blue Ribbon Commission. This statement implies that he must be a competent leader, but there is no evidence presented to support this claim. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when it describes the tragedy as
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'visionary for his community's development', which is a positive term that implies that Kevin Howell was an exceptional leader who had achieved great success in developing his town. This language creates a halo effect around him, making it seem like he was perfect and did nothing wrong.
Kevin Howell served as a member of Maine's second EMS Blue Ribbon Commission. The author mentions this fact without providing any context or information about the commission or its work, which suggests that they are trying to create an impression of Kevin Howell being well-connected and respected in his field.
The article describes Kevin Howell as a 'town manager' who had been awarded several accolades for his work in town government. This language creates a positive image of him as someone who was successful and accomplished, which may make readers view him more favorably.
The author uses the phrase 'visionary for his community's development', which is a positive term that implies that Kevin Howell was an exceptional leader who had achieved great success in developing his town. This language creates a halo effect around him, making it seem like he was perfect and did nothing wrong.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Katherine Donlevy has a conflict of interest on the topic of Kevin Howell as she is married to him.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Kevin Howell's wife as she is mentioned in the article and may have personal ties to him. Additionally, there are no disclosures made about any potential conflicts of interest.
Kevin Howell died after saving his son when both fell through a frozen pond while out on a walk.
Howell managed to get his son out of the water and told him to go get his mother.
Accuracy
Kevin Howell drowned after rescuing his son Sawyer from the ice of a Maine pond.
Sawyer heroically made the journey to his mother, who called 911 and rushed to help her husband.
Howell had vanished beneath the surface by the time divers arrived.
Deception
(0%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Kevin Howell died after saving his son when both fell through a frozen pond while out on a walk Friday. However, this statement is not entirely accurate as there are no details about how the father and son fell into the pond or why they were walking around it in the first place. Secondly, the article quotes Kevin Howell's wife saying that he told her to go get their mother after she had fallen through the ice. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence as there are no details about how his wife knew what happened or if she was even present at the scene of the incident. Thirdly, the article claims that Kevin Howell's body was found a little before 2 p.m., but it does not provide any information on where he was found or how he ended up in the water.
The statement 'Howell managed to get his son out of the water and told him to go get his mother, the sheriff’s office said.' is deceptive as there are no details on how he got his son out of the water or if he was even present at the scene.
The statement 'Kevin Howell died after saving his son when both fell through a frozen pond while out on a walk Friday' is deceptive as there are no details about how they fell into the pond and why they were walking around it.
The statement 'Kevin Howell's wife said that she knew what happened after her husband fell through the ice and told her to go get their mother' is deceptive as it is not supported by any evidence.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Kevin Howell was the town manager of Carmel and his office is responsible for oversight and management of town departments. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction when describing the pond as 'treacherous' which implies it is dangerous, but then states that both Howell and his son fell through it.
Kevin Howell was the town manager of Carmel
The sheriff’s office described Kevin Howell as a hero for saving his 4-year-old son from drowning in Etna Pond.
Kevin Howell drowned after rescuing his 4-year-old son when both fell through a frozen pond while out on a walk.
Howell managed to get his son out of the water and told him to go get his mother.
Accuracy
Howell managed to get his son out of the water but couldn't get himself out.
Deception
(0%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Kevin Howell drowned while saving his son from the ice when in fact he drowned shortly after getting his son out of the water and onto solid ground.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said something. The author should have provided a source for this information or cited their own research. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of Kevin Howell's actions as heroic in saving his son but tragic in drowning shortly after.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said that Kevin Howell got his son out of the water and onto the ice. He told the boy to run the third of a mile home and get his mother.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that implies the man's actions were heroic and selfless. The author uses phrases such as 'saved his son' and 'got him out of the water'. However, it is not clear if this was actually true or if there are any other factors to consider.
Howell got his son out of the water and onto the ice. He told the boy to run third mile home and get mother.
Norton looked for Howell but could not find him.
The Maine Warden Service dive team recovered the body of a man who fell through the ice of Etna Pond in Carmel on Friday morning. (Courtesy of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife)
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Marie Weidmayer has a conflict of interest on the topic of Etna Pond as she is an owner and operator of DIF&W which operates in that area. She also has a personal relationship with Kevin Howell who was involved in the incident.
Marie Weidmayer owns and operates DIF&W, which is mentioned as being located near Etna Pond.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Marie Weidmayer has a conflict of interest on the topics of Etna Pond and Carmel as she is reporting on an incident that occurred in those locations. She also has a personal relationship with Kevin Howell who was involved in the incident.
Kevin Howell died after falling through the ice on Etna Pond with his 4-year-old son.
Howell got his son out of the water but couldn't get himself out.
Accuracy
Kevin Howell drowned after rescuing his 4-year-old son Sawyer from the ice of a Maine pond.
Sawyer heroically made the journey to his mother, who called 911 and rushed to help her husband.
The wife tragically broke through the ice herself after securing a rope for Howell's rescue.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article reports on the death of a Carmel town manager who fell through ice while rescuing his young son. The author has multiple conflicts of interest related to this topic.
> Kevin Howell is mentioned as being present at the scene and possibly involved in the rescue effort, which could create a conflict of interest if he had any personal or professional ties with the town manager or other individuals involved.
