Ron and Don worry about lasting impact from ‘Atlantic’ mistakes

There were many emotions in the KIRO Radio studio after an article was published in The Atlantic with false information about the Ron and Don Show. But the thing that bothers Ron Upshaw the most — despite a correction being published — is the lasting effect it will have on their reputation.

Related: Ron and Don set the record straight after disparaging article in The Atlantic

“I imagine a day when Don and I are really passionate about something in the community, like a child who needs to raise money for cancer treatment, or something,” Ron said. “And I imagine someone doing a quick Google search before they support the cause. And they type our names in, and this story pops up. And they will be like, ‘I’m not going to support these guys because they are bad actors.'”

The article published online in The Atlantic was authored by local writer Erica C. Barnett and chronicled the vile reactions that female members of the Seattle City Council received after voting against a street vacation. That vote essentially blocked the construction of a new arena in town, and the potential of bringing another NBA team to Seattle. Female council members were then bombarded with misogynistic comments through their email an on social media. The issue even garnered national attention.

Ron and Don were not part of that misogyny, however, the article in The Atlantic made it seem as such. In fact, is stated that Ron and Don inspired listeners to engage in such behavior when they never did.

Since the article was published, The Atlantic had staff research the issue overnight, going through Ron and Don’s podcasts to confirm they never did what the article reported.

Renowned lawyer Anne Bremner understands Ron’s concern. She notes an old adage, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Bremner said that there will be some fallout no matter what. It’s something for the radio host to consider when thinking about what to do about it.

“This story is stunning when you read it,” Bremner said. “I understand you’ve been getting correspondence from around the U.S.”

Some of that correspondence, Don said, is from people who have never listened to their show, but are asking for them to lose their jobs.

“Basically, [the article] says, ‘Look out there in Seattle at what is happening in that city and what these two are doing to women,’” Bremner said. “It’s really hard to get that back even if they correct the article.”

“You’ve been put out there as misogynists in a war on women; in Seattle as shock jocks encouraging the C word and the W word, when it’s completely false. And you’re the opposite of that. You’re cause-radio. You’re a gem in our community.”

But questions still linger for Ron and Don: What exactly happened? Did the author purposefully write disparaging and false information about the show? Did council member Sally Bagshaw misrepresent the facts to the writer? Was there a lack of fact checking at every stage of the reporting process?

“We don’t know,” Bremner said. “Is it the messenger or the message? We don’t know but it made it into a national publication.”

Bremner said that answers could come from Bagshaw who was quoted in the article. The Seattle City Council has since released a statement that it stands behind the correction in the article.

“But [Bagshaw is] quiet,” Bremner said. “Sometimes a closed mouth gathers no foot — if you say nothing. Sometimes there’s a time to say something and it sounds like the time is now. She has the answers.”

Don said that they posted an article about the situation on their Facebook page and asked their listeners what they should do.

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