Current Events > Fox News published digitally altered, misleading images regarding Seattle protes

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https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/13/media/seattle-fox-news-autonomous-zone-protest/index.html

Fox News published digitally altered and misleading images on its website's homepage Friday that made a demonstration in Seattle, in which a group of largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters have occupied six city blocks, appear violent and dangerous.
The deceitful tactic was called out by The Seattle Times. The local newspaper reported that when it asked Fox News about the images, the network removed them.
Fox News' depiction of the demonstration mirrors much of right-wing media's attempt to portray it as menacing. Protesters have declared a small slice of Seattle an "autonomous zone" after clashes with authorities led police to evacuate a precinct. While there have been some sightings of armed individuals, the area has remained largely peaceful with people gathering for food, speeches, and movie screenings.

The narrative that took hold this week in right-wing circles was one in which armed members of Antifa seized a section of Seattle. City officials have said they have not interacted with members of Antifa, a network of loosely affiliated groups that have a history of violently clashing with right-wing organizations.
"It's not an armed takeover," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said on CNN Thursday night. "It's not a military junta."
President Trump has, however, seemingly seized on reports in right-wing media, calling the protesters "domestic terrorists" and threatening to use federal force to clear them out of the area.
Despite a description by the President that is at odds with the reality on the ground, Fox News has continued to present the situation as dangerous. Its publishing of altered and misleading images on its highly-trafficked website was the latest and arguably the most egregious example of that.

Among the photos that Fox News published on its homepage was one that showed a protester running past a burning vehicle and building with the headline "CRAZY TOWN" blaring across the website. The image, which accompanied a story about the situation in Seattle, was in fact taken from the unrest last month in Minnesota.
In other photos that showed the scene in Seattle, Fox News digitally added an image of a man armed with an assault rifle.

A spokesperson for Fox News pointed CNN on Saturday morning to an editor's note that was appended to stories the network published with the misleading images.
"A FoxNews.com home page photo collage which originally accompanied this story included multiple scenes from Seattle's 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' and of wreckage following recent riots," the note read. "The collage did not clearly delineate between these images, and has since been replaced. In addition, a recent slideshow depicting scenes from Seattle mistakenly included a picture from St. Paul. Fox News regrets these errors."
The network also provided a Friday comment to The Seattle Times.

"We have replaced our photo illustration with the clearly delineated images of a gunman and a shattered storefront, both of which were taken this week in Seattle's autonomous zone," a Fox News spokesperson told the newspaper.
The Seattle Times, however, reported that the statement was inaccurate. The newspaper pointed out that "the gunman photo was taken June 10, while storefront images it was melded with were datelined May 30 by Getty Images."

Smdh fox at it again

And with that, I do believe, the government should remove FOX from the air until they receive a complete management shakeup from top to bottom.
You have the right to free speech.
You don't have a right to practice propaganda against huge percentages of the American public. At the very least they deserve a huge fine.

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Interesting the difference between Fox news and right wing CE shitposters and the news actually coming out of Seattle
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That looks National Enquirer level of photoshopping lmao everything I'm hearing about this zone seems peaceful to me outside of the police making shit up.
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Miletus posted...

You don't have a right to practice propaganda against huge percentages of the American public.

The first amendment totally protects that, actually.
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Not the first time theyve aired fake news, and it wont be the last.

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Miletus posted...

And with that, I do believe, the government should remove FOX from the air until they receive a complete management shakeup from top to bottom.
You have the right to free speech.
You don't have a right to practice propaganda against huge percentages of the American public. At the very least they deserve a huge fine.

Except, if the Government did any of that, they'd be in violation of the 1st Amendment. You could try suing Fox for libel, which is illegal, but libel is incredibly difficult to prove in court. All Fox really has to say is "We were not made aware that the photos were received were doctored." Then the case gets thrown out because you can't prove someone didn't know something. You have to prove they knew, and that can be incredibly hard to the standards of a US Court.

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Remember when The Onion said Fox News was no longer legally considered actual news, and people believed it?

Maybe they can be stopped on charges of false advertising. They're not news, certainly.

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I can see that guy with the mask and gun becoming a meme now.

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my dad is totally stupid regarding this story. my sister lives in Seattle. and she literally said that these people are peaceful and just going around planting flowers and holding signs and helping out their neighbors and shit like that. and they aren't from out of town. there is a myth that it was people out of town who basically took over a neighborhood and kicked out the people who live there. the people doing this ARE the people who live there

anyway my dad is acting like my sister is misinformed about her own city and is believing Fox over her. it just makes me want to facepalm

Guide posted...

Maybe they can be stopped on charges of false advertising. They're not news, certainly.

Neither is MSNBC then. I recall years ago seeing an article saying most of what MSNBC aired qualified as "editorials" rather than news.

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Crazyman93 posted...

Neither is MSNBC then. I recall years ago seeing an article saying most of what MSNBC aired qualified as "editorials" rather than news.

Who wrote that article? And based on that one article, you believe everything about MSNBC? And lastly, why bring up MSNBC when this thread is about Fox?

Fox is really focusing on Seattle right now to push their agenda

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Ruvan22 posted...

Who wrote that article? And based on that one article, you believe everything about MSNBC? And lastly, why bring up MSNBC when this thread is about Fox?

Because Fox News fans immediately point fingers at MSNBC or CNN whenever their favorite news network is caught lying.

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Is that the one where they got trolled with a Monty Python joke that they didn't get?

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Ive been wondering for a while what we can do about the amount of power news media has to mislead the public. Because we sure as hell cant trust the average person to think critically. They eat this shit right up, like pigs at a trough.

At a certain point, there isnt much difference between a state controlled media and independent news organizations with this much power when they push political agendas. Even NPR is guilty. This is more heinous than most, but its everywhere.

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You mean conservatives are flat out lying about Seattle to push their agenda? No way. Conservatives never do that! Theyre perfect angels.

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au_gold posted...

Not the first time theyve aired fake news, and it wont be the last.

This they should be a declared a foreign agent cuz all they do is lie and fear monger

CADE FOSTER posted...

This they should be a declared a foreign agent cuz all they do is lie and fear monger

They aren't foreign
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Antifar posted...

They aren't foreign

doesnt matter tbh

It looks like they issued an official apology. Mistakes happen. Their organization doesn't need to be crucified over this.
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TheRealDill2000 posted...

It looks like they issued an official apology. Mistakes happen. Their organization doesn't need to be crucified over this.

They sure make a lot of mistakes...

The literal definition of fake news right here
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They do this all the time.

CNN does it too for any both siders out there.

They're not taken to task for it so they never stop
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There needs to be a law put into place that allows us to take them to task over it.
For example a law that requires them to acknowledge that they understand a complaint is legitimate and that they have committed a mistake.
Then, the amount of time that goes on before they correct that mistake, or the refusal to acknowledge their mistake all together, will each open up the punishment possibilities.

Otherwise we're making the statement that corporations are individual people and deserve the same rights as individual people. This simply isn't the case and should not be the case.

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Faux News

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Miletus posted...

Otherwise we're making the statement that corporations are individual people and deserve the same rights as individual people

https://youtu.be/KlPQkd_AA6c

@Miletus

TheRealDill2000 posted...

It looks like they issued an official apology. Mistakes happen. Their organization doesn't need to be crucified over this.

This wasn't a mistake. They got caught on their bullshit and had to apologize.
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BakonBitz posted...

This wasn't a mistake. They got caught on their bullshit and had to apologize.

Don't take his bait. He always shows up in a topic to pick the worst side of an argument.

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Crazyman93 posted...

Don't take his bait. He always shows up in a topic to pick the worst side of an argument.

I figured he does it. Oh well.
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Related: https://uproxx.com/viral/fox-news-monty-python-video-seattle-protests/
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