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Youtuber says reporter “completely lied” about his call for Malahat speed limit increases (VIDEO)

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In an intriguing development to a recent Chek News story, Damon Fryer has accused the Victoria-based news station of misrepresenting his statements.

Fryer operates the YouTube Channel DailyDrivenExotics, which has close to 100,000 subscribers.


UPDATE: Chek News revised their article and video, adding the following statement:

Editor’s note: Since CHEK first reported this story, Mr. Fryer has produced a YouTube video saying CHEK lied about his call for increased speed limits on the Malahat. The YouTube video was the first CHEK News had heard that Mr. Fryer was concerned about the way we reported the story. We have since met with Mr. Fryer and reviewed both our published story and the raw interview with him. Upon reflection, the way the story was edited may have been misleading. In the interview, Mr. Fryer said there should be variable speed limits that could be changed based on weather and road conditions. Mr. Fryer said, “I think 80 km/h is too slow for summer and 80 km/h is too fast for winter if it’s snowing or raining.” We have edited the headline and video to more accurately portray Mr. Fryer’s views. CHEK News prides itself on being accurate and accountable. We regret if our original reporting led to any misunderstanding. It certainly was not intentional.




The Chek News story, entitled “Langford man gets Ferrari impounded, wants higher speed limit on Malahat” was posted on July 10.In the video segment of the story,reporter Calvin To states in a voiceover that, “[Fryer] said he wasn’t being dangerous and that speed limits should actually be higher.”

cropped Higher Limits Chek News Screenshot 1
Screenshot of ChekNews.ca

However, in a YouTube video released on July 11, Fryer asserted that he said nothing of the sort.

“I never said that in the interview, at all… This is very misleading,” Fryer said in the video. “It’s what a lot of people consider clickbait. It’s exactly what their purpose is – to get more views, to cause drama, to stir up conversation, and essentially get a lot of engagement. And they succeeded in that, unfortunately damaging me and my reputation in the process.”

Digital Mountain Signage, Not Just Higher Limits

Rather than simply increasing speed limits overall, Fryer said that he actually suggested a detailed network of digital signage.

“I suggested that because the Malahat is a mountain pass that it have digital signage that can be altered during different seasons of the year. So, depending on the weather conditions, whether it be snow, rain, fog, or a beautiful sunny day, there would be someone in control of that signage, determining what the safest maximum speed allowed to travel on certain sections would be.”

Fryer also said that he actually told Chek News that certain sections of the Malahat should have lower speed limits.

“None of that gets mentioned. Nothing gets mentioned about my solution for digital signage like other mountain passes. They blatantly say, and they lie, that I was calling for higher speed limits, and I never said that… They went ahead and completely lied about what I said in my interview.”

Chek News story results in viral Facebook post

As of 11:00 am on Wednesday, Chek News’ link to the story on Facebook has garnered over 1000 reactions, 240 shares, and 613 comments. Many of those comments heavily criticize Fryer.

In a Facebook comment on the article, Fryer said he would attempt to procure the unedited footage from Chek News.

“We live in a time when nobody trusts mainstream media anymore and this is exactly the reason why,” said Fryer in the video. “It blows my mind that they did this.”

Watch Fryer’s July 11 video:
Watch the original video of Fryer’s ticketing and his Ferrari’s impounding:

 

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Alistair Ogden
Former staff writer at Victoria Buzz.

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