GREAT FALLS — Is the Montana Air National Guard switching from C-130 cargo planes to F-15 fighter jets? No - despite any rumors you may have seen.
A woman sent a screenshot of an image she received via text message, asking KRTV if the story was real. The headline: "Montana Air National Guard to Receive F-15s Amid Rising Global Tensions."
She said: "Hello, I was just wondering if this is a real article by KRTV or if this is a fake? I was sent this photo of an article that appears to be written and produced by KRTV but I can’t find the article anywhere."
The bogus article contained the KRTV "3" logo at the top, and claimed that due to "rising geopolitical tension" between the United States of America and Russia, the 120th Airlift Wing will be receiving a fleet of F-15s instead of the previously-announced C-130s.
The article then included a fake quote from Montana governor Greg Gianforte, and then said that U.S. Senator Jon Tester "echod" (sic) the sentiment.
There are several indicators that the article is fake. First, the C-130s are already here and have been for quite a while. Second, there are some typos in the article. Third, Tester has not been a U.S. Senator since January.
We contacted the Montana Air National Guard on Monday to confirm that it is fake, and a spokesman confirmed that there are no plans or discussions underway to change the mission or the aircraft of the 120th Airlift Wing.
We appreciate the woman who sent us the screenshot - she did the right thing by checking our website to see if it was actually published by KRTV, and when she couldn't find it, contacted us directly.
