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Pool, who's done a wealth of on-the-ground reporting and live-streaming, including from the Ferguson, Missouri riots in 2014, received $2,000 from Watson to support his efforts. Via GoFundMe, Pool has generated more than $15,000 of a $20,000 goal to fund his work in Sweden.
Watson's donation to Pool came about after President Donald Trump's random reference to violence in Sweden during a recent rally. Watson claimed such violence in the Swedish city of Malmo was real and offered a donation to any journalist willing to make the trip and investigate the allegations. (Pool has previously said he was already planning his trip when Watson's donation was made.)
When I asked Pool via email if he's had contact with Watson, he said, "There has been light contact, I informed him that the extreme left and right are both incorrect about the situation in Sweden."
The journey hasn't been without anxiety for Pool. On Wednesday, Pool posted some videos to Twitter from Rinkeby, the suburb of Stockholm that was the scene of a riot a week ago, saying that police were getting nervous and encouraging Pool's crew to leave the area.