Sat Feb 01 13:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Transgender National Guard Pilot Targeted by False Crash Reports on Social Media
**Washington, D.C.** – A transgender pilot in the Virginia Army National Guard, Jo Ellis, became the target of a massive disinformation campaign following the recent Black Hawk helicopter crash in Washington, D.C. Thousands of social media posts falsely identified Ms. Ellis as the pilot of the downed aircraft, linking her transgender identity to the tragedy.
The false reports surged on X (formerly Twitter) Friday morning, reaching over 90,000 posts and trending nationally. Many posts included Ms. Ellis’s photos and personal information, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. The misinformation campaign intensified after President Trump and his allies attempted to connect the crash to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the military, a claim unsupported by evidence.
Ms. Ellis, a 15-year veteran of the National Guard, was forced to post a “proof of life” video to Facebook to refute the false claims. In the video, she expressed frustration and anger at the disinformation, stating that it was “insulting to the families” of the crash victims and that she did not deserve such treatment.
The spread of this misinformation highlights the dangers of online disinformation and its impact on individuals. While many posts were corrected later in the day after Ms. Ellis’s video gained traction, the initial wave of false reports inflicted significant emotional distress on the pilot and underscores the need for responsible social media usage and fact-checking.
First Piper 