Many people around Rathdrum get their news from different sources. Whether it be from accounts on Facebook to local stations like Krem 2 News or even large sources, like Fox or CNN. 

One of the local news sources is the public Facebook group, Rathdrum Community News, which holds over ten thousand members. Most of the posts on there are relevant to Rathdrum. Posts primarily have recommendations for services around North Idaho, local deals at restaurants, or even the occasional lost dog.

Additionally, there is the occasional political post, but they never gain that much traction. If you visit the page, you’re bound to see some complaints as well. It appears that common enemy #1 is Californians and anyone who moves into North Idaho.

If someone makes a post saying they just moved to Rathdrum, they will often be barraged with comments saying, “go back to where you came from,” or “move back.” This isn’t much of a surprise due to the distaste of newcomers in Idaho. 

Ryan Genteman, a Lakeland High School junior and member of the page, finds comedy in the page.

“You can watch these like-minded people fester together and then see what they produce on Facebook,” Genteman said.

Another news source for Rathdrum is North Idaho News.

The news source mainly focuses on crimes, car crashes, and anything else they can hear on police scanners. Due to their way of gathering information, primarily police scanners, they often will report information as quickly as possible before confirming any reports.

For example, during last school year, a loud noise was heard and one teacher believed it to be gunshots. The school was put into lockdown and the police were called. 

North Idaho News heard from the police scanner that shots were fired at Lakeland High School and quickly reported on the topic. However, there was no shooting, and parents and other community members were sent into unnecessary worry because of the news page’s lack of journalistic authenticity. 

One Lakeland High School parent, Adam Fudge, was distressed after seeing a school shooting report on the page. When seeing the post, Fudge immediately had to make sure his son was okay.

“After I saw the post, I texted my son as quickly as possible. False reporting made me wonder whether my son was even OK,” Fudge said.

Not only that, but they also receive sponsors from businesses around North Idaho. North Idaho News makes a profit from its inauthentic news reports.