Yesterday, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer tweeted a photo of the fuel prices at a D.C. gas station:
FYI. Gas prices today here in Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/cF4W2xWZvb
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) November 9, 2021
That is some pricey, pricey gasoline.
But as bad as it looks, there’s something more important you should know: it’s not as bad as it looks.
At least according to trans lesbian Human Rights Campaign alumna Charlotte Clymer. She couldn’t shake this feeling that something about Blitzer’s tweet was off, so she put on her detective hat and did some good, old-fashioned investigatin’:
Hi there, I live in D.C. and when I saw this post, I was deeply skeptical because I haven't seen gas prices this high anywhere in the District. So, I did some digging.
Summary: yes, Mr. Blitzer's pic here is accurate and also extremely misleading. Here's why…
(thread) https://t.co/AQQDYZEPdP
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
“Accurate and also extremely misleading.”
Sounds promising, doesn’t it?
From what I can tell, there are about 35-40 active Exxon gas station locations in D.C. proper. It was unclear to me if several of the locations I looked up are active, so I'm including those in this range.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Google is kind enough to provide gas price updates for individual stations through its map function.
Mr. Blitzer took a pic of a gas station where Regular is $4.30/gallon.
There are two Exxons in D.C. with that price: 200 Mass Ave. NE and 5521 Conn Ave. NE
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
My initial hunch was that he took this pic at 200 Mass Ave. NE, and using Google Street View, that was easy to confirm with this old picture of the location. More on this specific gas station in a second because a lot of D.C. folks know it well. (Thus, the hunch!) pic.twitter.com/AjKNPQixrR
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
There aren't a lot of gas stations close to this one. There's another Exxon to the south of this spot on Penn Ave. that's $4.50/gallon. Both of these are at heart of Capitol Hill. And if you were to only focus on these two stations, you'd think gas is bonkers expensive. pic.twitter.com/L6GPCQ3Tsy
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
But if you look for ALL gas stations on Capitol Hill or in the general area around it, you find:
— a Marathon 1.1 miles away with Regular for $3.56
— a Shell that's less than 1.5 miles away where gas is $3.58 for Regular
— a Valero 1.8m away w/ $3.54 for Regular pic.twitter.com/1XX0WsmoWh
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Remember that Exxon I mentioned where gas is $4.50?
Just down from it on Penn Ave. are three stations:
— a bp where Regular is $3.70
— a Sunoco where it's $3.60
— another Exxon where it's $3.60I have used all these stations at some point or another. pic.twitter.com/lQ3Grnfap6
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Gas in D.C. is most expensive on or near Capitol Hill or near Georgetown. But if you do, you know, a quick Google search, you can find relatively cheap gas in the District. One such site (https://t.co/n7nxAIsxpx) ranks low gas prices.
$2.97 at that bp on Georgia Ave. NW!!! pic.twitter.com/lskCbLGE9T
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
That site also ranks the highest gas prices in the District that have been recently updated (not all gas locations are necessarily updated daily).
See at the top? It's the 200 Mass Ave. NE location where Mr. Blitzer took his pic. pic.twitter.com/awxks6Rxg7
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Let's talk more about this 200 Mass Ave. NE location.
It's across the street from the Union Station grounds (tourists/rental cars) + near the Capitol grounds (a concentration of higher incomes, obviously).
So, folks who don't know any better and folks who can easily afford it. pic.twitter.com/IInrZaRA1b
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
If you live in D.C. and live on Capitol Hill, especially, this particular Exxon is known as a "break glass in case of emergency" station for most residents. It's the place you can find easily in a pinch if you're running late or just need the convenience otherwise.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
It is not, however, the gas station that most residents would claim as their primary. It is not the station you would tell a friend or family member to go to. It is not a station where, if you've lived here a while, you would present as representative of D.C. gas prices.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
This gas station is well-known to D.C. folks. It's located not too far from where I live. I have used it a number of times but always for the convenience, not for the price. Most of the time, I use the stations on Penn Ave. I mentioned earlier.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
The Exxon at 200 Mass Ave. NE is an incredibly shoddy example of rising gas prices as it does not reflect the general market. It's an outlier. It's a tourist trap. It's for D.C. folks who can afford the occasional splurge for convenience. And again, this is all well-known.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Mr. Blitzer is right that gas prices are increasing, of course. That's unsurprising given that we've all spent the past 20 months at home, driving far less. Folks are driving again. The market is responding to that. And yet… the national avg. for Regular is $3.41 pic.twitter.com/64ww8vk7YL
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
I grew up in a family where we didn't know if we'd be able to afford gas every week. I get the anxiety of seeing these rising prices. It's expensive.
But it's very strange that Mr. Blitzer, knowing this Exxon is an outlier, would frame it as a good example of D.C. gas prices.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Mr. Blitzer is one of the most well-known news personalities in the country. He's influential. His tweet was an attempt at insight into everyday financial worries of ordinary Americans, which is why it's quite disappointing that it completely lacks context.
It's misleading.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Here's a good primer on the question "who controls gas prices in the U.S." from @maiteknorrevans, a journalist who has clearly done the work in understanding gas prices and why they're rising. Give it a read!https://t.co/d8Aw2lwbeX
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Oh, one more thing:
I write a blog with stuff like this all the time. It's free and easy to subscribe. All you need is an email. Takes less than five seconds. And it helps me *immensely*.
If you like this thread, do me a solid and subscribe to my blog:https://t.co/NnIhHwxYGK
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Subscribe to her blog for more quality investigative journalism!
And, of course, this thread is now available in blog form for easy sharing.https://t.co/3vUXoaQgF9
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) November 10, 2021
Thank you, Charlotte. This is definitely one we want to share.
A million tweet thread to show Charlotte is full of shit and gas prices are still rising
Saved you like 15 mins, now pay me https://t.co/gEao7gpgoz
— Ahmed Al Assliken (@assliken) November 10, 2021
Mr. Assliken’s brand of journalism is more our speed, frankly.
"Yes it's true, but it's misleading" is my favorite brand of fact checking nonsense.
— Buster Bivin (@busterbivin) November 10, 2021
It’s worked out great for PolitiFact, so why not for Charlotte Clymer, too?