Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old travel blogger from New York City.
Petito went missing while staying at the Moab Police Department's campground on August 19th, and was found dead eight days later near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
She and her fiance Brian Laundrie were on a cross country road trip in a van for months.
Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old travel blogger from New York City, was killed by her fiance Brian Laundrie on August 19th during their cross country road trip. The couple had been traveling in a van for months and were staying at the Moab Police Department's campground when Petito went missing. Her body was found eight days later near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Gabby Petito and her family reached an agreement with the Laundries' family and their attorney during mediation on Wednesday to avoid a civil trial.
Brian Laundrie took his own life in late October 2021 after Gabby Petito's death in August 2021.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the family of Gabby Petito reached an agreement with the family of Brian Laundrie and their attorney during mediation on Wednesday to avoid a civil trial. However, this statement is not entirely accurate as there are no details about what was agreed upon or if any resolution has been reached yet.
The article quotes Peter Tragos, a Clearwater attorney who was not affiliated with this case stating that it could be a potentially precedent-setting case that don't say things you know aren't true. However, there is no evidence to support the claim of deception in any statement made by anyone.
The article states that Gabby Petito's parents filed a lawsuit the Laundries and Bertolino for intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, this statement is not entirely accurate as there are no details about what was claimed in the lawsuit or if any resolution has been reached yet.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of an appeal to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The author cites a statement from the Laundries' attorney without providing any context or evidence to support it. Additionally, the author uses strong language such as 'extremely frantic' and 'very upset' when describing Brian Laundrie's phone calls, which could be seen as inflammatory rhetoric.
The family held discussions at a secret location in Venice.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that Gabby Petito's family and the Laundries have reached a deal to avoid a civil trial. The author of the article is Kevin Accettulla, J.B. Biunno #HeyJB who has been dog-whistling to supporters of extremist far-right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon.
The family held discussions at a secret location in Venice.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The author is a member of the Laundrie family and therefore may have personal ties to Brian Laundrie and Christopher Laundrie.
Gabby Petito's parents reached a settlement with the Laundrie family and attorney Steve Bertolino in their civil lawsuit.
The terms of the resolution are confidential but both sides acknowledged that it had been reached after an exhausting session.
Accuracy
Gabby Petito's parents sued the Laundrie family and their lawyer for emotional distress.
Brian Laundrie took his own life in late October 2021 after Gabby Petito’s death in August 2021.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Gabby Petito's parents have reached a settlement with Laundrie family and attorney Steve Bertolino in Florida lawsuit without providing any evidence or information about the terms of the settlement. Secondly, there is a dichotomous depiction of Brian Laundrie as both being worried about Gabby Petito's well-being when he called days after her murder and denying having any knowledge of her fate before an FBI-led search uncovered her remains on Sept. 19, 2021. This creates a contradiction in the author's portrayal of Laundrie as both concerned about Petito's well-being and not knowing anything about her disappearance. Thirdly, there is inflammatory rhetoric used by the author when stating that Gabby Petito poses for an Instagram photo in Bryce Canyon National Park which implies that she was murdered while on a road trip with Brian Laundrie. This statement is misleading and not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
The parents of Gabby Petito, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, sued Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and later added Bertolino to the case.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of ideological bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the Laundrie family and portrays them as being responsible for Gabby Petito's death. Additionally, the author implies that the Laundries are hiding something by not disclosing information about their son's whereabouts before his murder was discovered.
The undisclosed settlement brings an emotional proceeding that has dragged on for over a year to a close.
, Gabby Petito was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie,
Accuracy
Gabby Petito was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie.
Brian Laundrie took his own life in late October 2021 after Gabby Petito's death in August 2021.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that Gabby Petito's parents sued the Laundrie family and their lawyer for intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, this statement is false as there was no lawsuit filed against the Laundries or Bertolino by Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito in March 2022. The only legal action taken was a civil trial that would have begun in May to determine damages for their suffering caused by the actions of Brian Laundrie's family. Secondly, it states that Gabby Petito's parents settled with the Laundries and Bertolino on Wednesday, but this is also false as there was no settlement reached between them. The only agreement made was a confidential resolution to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict.
The article falsely states that Gabby Petito's parents sued the Laundrie family and their lawyer for intentional infliction of emotional distress in March 2022. In reality, there was no lawsuit filed against them by Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito.
The article also falsely states that Gabby Petito's parents settled with the Laundries and Bertolino on Wednesday. There was no settlement reached between them.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Gabby Petito's parents settled with Laundrie's family and their attorney in an emotional distress lawsuit without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Secondly, the author quotes a statement from Joseph and Tara Petito and Nichole and James Schmidt that contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that they hope to close this chapter of their lives to allow them to move on. Thirdly, the article uses an informal fallacy by quoting Brian Laundrie's notebook entry without providing any context or evidence for its authenticity.
The author quotes a statement from Joseph and Tara Petito and Nichole and James Schmidt that contains inflammatory rhetoric.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement from the parents of Gabby Petito that they were aware of her murder soon after it happened and chose to do nothing other than issue a statement through their lawyer expressing hope she would be found. This is an example of religious bias as the Laundries are Catholic and may have believed in praying for her safe return.
Brian Laundrie, who was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, wrote in a notebook that he killed Petito.
Petito's family reported her missing on Sept. 11, 2021, while she was on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie. Her body was found about a week later in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest, with a coroner ruling that she had died of "blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation."
The parents of Gabby Petitio filed a lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents and their attorney for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The parents of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger who was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie, settled Wednesday with Laundrie's parents and their attorney in an emotional distress lawsuit and will avoid a civil trial.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest on several topics related to Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. The site is owned by ABC News which has financial ties with Steven Bertolino who represents the Laundries in their legal disputes.
On Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, 2021, the days Petito is believed to have been murdered by Laundrie, Brian's parents said they spoke to their son on several occasions but that the conversations were normal.
Chris Laundrie said everything hit the fan on Aug. 29 and Brian was extremely frantic on the phone.
Accuracy
Longtime Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino gave a deposition under oath stating it's impossible not to remember that date.
Deception
(80%)
The article is highly deceptive because it uses emotional manipulation and selective reporting to portray Brian Laundrie as a guilty party in Gabby Petito's murder. The author does not provide any evidence or sources for the claims made in the article, such as Brian being ‘extremely frantic’ on Aug. 29, 2021, or his mother Roberta noticing something was wrong with him during their phone call. The author also omits any information about what happened to Gabby Petito and why she is believed to have been murdered by Brian Laundrie. By focusing only on the alleged behavior of Brian after her death, the author attempts to create a false impression that he was hiding something or lying about his involvement in her killing. This is deceptive because it does not present a fair and balanced view of the facts and circumstances surrounding Gabby Petito's murder.
The article uses selective reporting by omitting any information about Gabby Petito and why she is believed to have been murdered by Brian Laundrie. This is deceptive because it fails to inform the reader of the main issue at hand and leaves them with a false impression of what happened.
The article uses emotional manipulation by describing Brian as ‘extremely frantic’ on Aug. 29, 2021, without providing any context or explanation for why he would be acting that way. This is deceptive because it implies that he was guilty of something and trying to hide it from his parents.
The article uses selective reporting by focusing only on the phone calls between Brian and his parents on Aug. 29, 2021, without mentioning any other evidence or sources that could support or contradict their claims. This is deceptive because it leaves out important information that could help the reader understand what really happened.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the phone records were obtained as part of a civil lawsuit and citing Pat Reilly's statement about them. Additionally, there are multiple instances where the author quotes sources without providing any context or analysis, which can be seen as inflammatory rhetoric.
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'extremely frantic' to describe Brian Laundrie's state of mind after Gabby Petito was murdered, which is a subjective interpretation that may not be accurate or fair. Additionally, the use of phrases like 'normal conversations' and 'everything hit the fan' are also biased language choices.
The article uses the phrase 'extremely frantic', which is a highly emotive word choice used to describe Brian Laundrie's state of mind after Gabby Petito was murdered. This may not be an accurate or fair portrayal of his emotions and could potentially influence readers.
The use of phrases like 'normal conversations' and 'everything hit the fan' are also biased language choices that may not accurately reflect the events described in court documents.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a personal relationship with Brian Laundrie's parents and attorney Chris and Roberta Laundrie. The article also mentions that the conversations were obtained through court documents.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie as they are reporting on court documents that include conversations with Brian Laundries parents and attorney Chris and Roberta Laundrie. The article also mentions Steven Bertolino who is an attorney for the family.
The author reports on court documents that include conversations with Brian Laundries parents and attorney Chris and Roberta Laundrie.
Gabby Petito's remains were discovered in Wyoming on September 19th, eight days after she was first reported missing by her parents.
Brian Laundrie vanished just days before Gabby Petitio's body was found and his disappearance sparked a weekslong manhunt that ended with the discovery of his body in Florida.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that there will be a trial for emotional distress claims later this year when in fact an out-of-court resolution has been reached. Secondly, it states that Gabby Petito's parents accused Brian Laundrie and his family of knowing about her death but not helping to bring her home. However, the article does not provide any evidence or quotes from the lawsuit to support this claim. Thirdly, it mentions that Christopher and Roberta Laundrie admitted thinking 'probably went through my mind' when asked if they knew what happened to Gabby Petito which is a lie by omission as there is no mention of Brian Laundries involvement in her death.
The title implies that there will be a trial for emotional distress claims later this year, but an out-of-court resolution has been reached.
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie admitted thinking 'probably went through my mind' when asked if they knew what happened to Gabby Petito which is a lie by omission as there is no mention of Brian Laundries involvement in her death.
Gabby Petito's parents accused the Laundrie family of knowing about her death and not helping to bring her home, however no evidence or quotes from the lawsuit are provided to support this claim.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states that the families of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie reached a settlement. The statement implies that this is factual without providing any evidence or citation for it. Additionally, there are several instances where the author uses inflammatory rhetoric such as
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author of the article has multiple conflicts of interest on several topics related to Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. The author is a reporter for Independent UK which is owned by News Corp, a company that also owns Fox News. Fox News has been criticized in the past for its coverage of missing persons cases like Gabby Petito's case.
The article mentions that Brian Laundrie was found dead on October 20th, 2021 and his body was discovered by a hiker. The article also states that the autopsy report revealed that he died of an apparent suicide.
