Fox News Apologizes For Using Altered, Misleading Photos In Reports On Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Fox News has issued an apology after using a series of digitally altered and misleading photographs in reporting on Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) this week.
As The Seattle Times reported, the conservative cable news network came under fire after images of a man holding a rifle at an entrance to the area in the city was altered to make it appear as if the man was standing in front of a looted store. As the report noted, the image of the armed man was also used in another photo, making it appear as if he was standing in front of a sign outside the CHAZ.
There were no disclaimers noting that the photos had been altered, and the network removed the images after an inquiry from The Seattle Times. Another image of a man running in front of a burning store linked to a story about Seattle’s protests was also removed. The picture had actually been taken in St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 30, the report noted.
The network initially released a statement claiming that the photos were combined together to show violent demonstrations in Seattle’s CHAZ.
“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,” the statement read.
But The Seattle Times noted that the statement was not accurate, as one photo was taken on June 10 while others were taken on May 30 — before protesters set up what they called an autonomous zone in the city.
The network later pinned an apology to the top of a story on its website about pushback from the Black Lives Matter movement against the efforts to create an autonomous zone in Seattle.
“Editor’s Note: 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, Minnesota. Fox News regrets these errors.”
Rick Williams was walking through the CHAZ in Seattle when he saw a person holding a sign listing names of those killed by police in Washington state. “There he is,” Williams pointed. “There’s my brother.”
John T. Williams was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer in 2010 pic.twitter.com/cXlnXx6dC4
— Paige Cornwell (@pgcornwell) June 14, 2020
The small area of downtown Seattle has attracted a number of activists who have taken part in the city’s protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, calling for police reform and efforts to address and end systemic racism. The area contains the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct.
