Story about a Norwegian flag in Greenwood is heard around the world

Geeky Swedes Ballard

A few days ago, the Seattle Times got a hot tip. A Greenwood resident said she saw “a Confederate flag flying in front of a house” at N 92nd St. and Palatine Ave. N.

Times reporter Erik Lacitis checked it out, and…

“That’s a Norwegian flag,” said the Norwegian-American man who lives there. “It’s been up there since the start of the Olympics.”

Oops. Unlike the file photo we’re showing in this story, the flag was hanging down on the pole, untouched by the wind.

To her credit, the woman who sent the Times the tip admitted her error and revealed her name, best-selling author Rebecca Morris. But now she’s the subject of stories around the world.

The Times story blew up on social media, and it’s been picked up by the Daily Mail (which believe it or not, is the world’s most popular “news” site) as well as TIME, Sports Illustrated, Breitbart, Russia Today and even the Norwegian channel TV 2.

Not everyone thought it was funny — including some who pointed out it’s not illegal to fly a Confederate flag — so the Seattle Times had to close its comments on the story due to the volume of messages that violated its terms of service. A quick look at Morris’ Facebook page shows a few angry comments, as well.

But one Norwegian resident took it all in stride in a message posted on Facebook.

“The flags are very alike,” he said. “Everyone can do this mistake.”

The story still sits on the top of Seattle Times’ list of most read stories.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

20 thoughts to “Story about a Norwegian flag in Greenwood is heard around the world”

  1. “Seattle Times had to close its comments on the story due to the volume of messages that violated its terms of service.”

    Local news, really brings out the best in everyone huh?

  5. Could this Rebecca Morris be more of a NYC caricature? Geez
    This is like something from Curb Your Enthusiasm.

  10. Yeah, at least know what you are looking at before you get your panties bunched up. I wouldn’t be happy with a confederate flag on my street but for crisissakes, they are actually not that similar to the one pictured.

    Social justice fail….thanks for the chuckle though.

    Comment probably closed on the times article because way too hard on the doofus woke person worked up over this Norwegian flag….

  13. The Confederate flag utilized the the Scots’ St Andrew’s Cross which runs corner to corner, adding stars and using a red field instead of blue. The Norwegian flag uses the Norse Cross shifted off center to the hoist and based on the red, white, and blue of the French tricolor.ther

    This was not some kind of simple mistake; the kind you’d expect from a small child not a learned author. She has seen the Norwegian flag on tv during the Olympic Games or flying in and around Ballard since moving here.

    This stunt serves the dual purposes of hyping the name of Ms. Morris and casting a shadow of racist doubt on all flags of Christendom.

  16. .I helped install the flagpole. People need to be more tolerant (esp Kshama). The homeowner is a very nice guy and longtime friend. He often also flys a Seahawk flag etc. He always puts US Flag at top of pole!

  17. Also, even if he did want to fly a confederate flag, that’s his right. This is America. He can fly any flag he wants as long as the good old red, white, and blue is on top.

  18. @Dennis Shadduck
    The only only acceptable expressions of the First Amendment are dying your hair blue and undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
    Private property in Seattle exists primarily as a revenue source via taxation, not as an absolute, sovereign zone of personal expression.

    Morris is a “NYT Bestseller” after all. Property rights, self defense, and of course speech rights mean little to the citizens of the “Urban Archipelago”.

  19. “He always puts US Flag at top of pole!”

    Or as the Kshama-lama-ding-dongs call it, a “symbol of US oppression, racism and imperialism!”.

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