On May 15, Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril and former Facebook VR executive, took to Twitter to address inaccuracies in a recent article published by Puck News.
The article, titled “Sacksfest ’24 & Melinda’s Split Decision,” discussed several upcoming Trump fundraising events in California and mentioned various prominent tech figures involved. According to Puck News, David Sacks, an investor and podcaster, was hosting a fundraiser for Trump on June 6 at his home in Pacific Heights.
The article contained several blatant inaccuracies, presenting information that any diligent reporter could have verified before publishing. The article incorrectly stated that Palmer Luckey is married to Republican Senator Matt Gaetz’s sister, and that Luckey would host Trump on June 8 at his Newport Beach home. This non-factual assertion, along with other details about Luckey’s personal life and involvement in the event, was presented as fact.
Luckey responded on Twitter, pointing out the several blatant inaccuracies in the article:
It is crazy how bad @PuckNews is, people pay for this shit?
"Luckey, who’s married to Matt Gaetz’s sister, will host Trump on June 8 at his home in Newport Beach, according to the invite."
-I have never met Matt's sister, much less married her.
-I am not hosting Trump at my… https://t.co/DMkHujfICg— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) May 17, 2024
After pointing out the lies in this article, Palmer also responded to an article that Puck News posted around a year ago where they claimed that Luckey’s family participated in the January 6th riots
This is even dumber (though less offensive) than when they wrote this piece falsely claiming:
-My family participated in the Jan 6 riots
-I hired a donor-adviser
-I couldn't openly meet with DeSantis (ignoring my $25k contribution)https://t.co/aTkNkt140z— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) May 17, 2024
The inaccuracies in the Puck News articles highlight broader concerns about the state of journalism. In an era where misinformation can spread rapidly, the importance of responsible reporting cannot be overstated. Many readers and public figures have expressed frustration over the decline in media standards, echoing Luckey’s sentiments.