Iowa Council Meeting Erupts After Satanic Prayer
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0 left · 0 center · 2 right
What happened
At a Tuesday Ottumwa, Iowa, City Council meeting, former council member Matt Dalbey delivered an opening invocation that addressed a "Dark Father," urged attendees to "embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the tree of knowledge," and ended with "Hail Satan." Dalbey, a member of The Satanic Temple of Iowa, later said the prayer is used by the group and does not involve belief in a satanic deity. After the Pledge of Allegiance, Pastor Rick Bick of the New Life Center interrupted, calling the invocation a curse on the city and demanding it be reversed; Mayor Benjamin Foote then ordered a 30-second moment of silence. The remarks were allowed under an invocation policy the council adopted in January that pledges respect for diverse beliefs and bars officials from reviewing invocation content in advance. Council member Cara Galloway, the lone vote against that policy, later said the episode confirmed her warning that the city would have to permit such invocations.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 4 articles
3 of 4 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report. Rick Bick denied part of it on the record.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 3 of 4
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Matt Dalbey, Rick Bick, Cara Galloway, Benjamin Foote and Matthew Dalbey
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 1 of 4
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: video recording, news report
- Credits another outlet 0 of 4
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 4
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- On-record denial 1
- A named person or institution says the claim, or part of it, is not true. It is on the record — someone signed their name to it — but it is not confirmation, so it never counts toward On the record. Criticizing or dissenting from a decision is not a denial. The count is how many people or institutions deny it; each is listed with the first article that carried the denial. Here: Rick Bick (Fox News, Oct 8, 00:06 UTC)
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 7, 17:22 UTC by Daily Wire, naming its source. First document in the first report, from Daily Wire (video recording).
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only right-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage has not reported the story. Right-leaning coverage says a former Ottumwa council member opened a meeting with a prayer that ended with Hail Satan. A pastor then interrupted to reverse what he called a curse, and the mayor imposed a moment of silence. Those accounts also describe a policy that forbids prior review of invocations. A reader of the silent side would not know the prayer was delivered, or that a council member had predicted this scenario when the rule was adopted.
Right-leaning outlets split on emphasis. Daily Wire foregrounds the open-policy risk and notes the speaker is booked again. Fox News leads with the mayor saying the invocation is not a reflection of the community.
Did the prayer violate Ottumwa's own ban on disparaging other beliefs?
Bottom line
Left-leaning outlets have not reported Ottumwa's Hail Satan council invocation, a meeting Fox News said the mayor called not a reflection of the community.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Former council member Matt Dalbey opened the Ottumwa City Council meeting with an invocation that concluded Hail Satan.
- City Administrator Philip Rath said restricting the invocation policy could expose Ottumwa to legal challenges.
- Dalbey said the prayer is used by The Satanic Temple of Iowa and has nothing to do with belief in a satanic deity.
- Council member Cara Galloway was the lone vote against the invocation policy when it was adopted.
- Council member Bill Hoffman said he left the room during the invocation and returned for the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Right View
The Daily Wire, Fox News, and One America News described the Ottumwa meeting as erupting into controversy after Dalbey’s satanic invocation, highlighting video of uncomfortable reactions, Bick’s demand to reverse a "curse," and the contrast with the Pledge of Allegiance’s "one nation under God." They reported Mayor Foote’s statement that the invocation does not reflect Ottumwa’s faith or values, Galloway’s reminder that she had predicted a Satanic Temple-style prayer if invocations were allowed, and City Administrator Philip Rath’s comment that an open policy requires allowing different beliefs or risking legal challenges. Coverage also noted Dalbey is scheduled to give another invocation on November 3 and recalled The Satanic Temple of Iowa’s 2023 Baphomet display at the State Capitol.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it is grounded in a public meeting, named speakers, a written city policy, video of the session, and local reporting by The Ottumwa Courier rather than one party’s uncorroborated account. Established facts include the content of Dalbey’s invocation, Bick’s interruption, Foote’s moment of silence, the January policy’s no-prior-review rule, and Galloway’s on-the-record comments; whether the prayer constitutes a "curse" or represents the community is opinion, not a checkable claim. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for any council move to revisit the invocation policy, how the November 3 meeting is handled, and further on-the-record statements from city officials.
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