By Lights. Camera. Action!
Apparently ABC News didn’t get the memo about how reporting the news is not a work of cinematic fiction.
Last week, CNN busted ABC News staging a crime scene shot. Yes, that’s right. Fake news, like in a movie.
Linsey Davis, ABC News correspondent, stood in a field in in Woodruff, S.C., and “reported” on a story about a 30-year-old woman who was held captive in a storage container by an alleged sex offender.
How can we be well-informed Americans when our news sources are downright lying to us? This incident touches upon the major issue of corruption with too many media outlets and the ways in which we are ‘educating’ ourselves.
The shot was staged in front of yellow police tape with the words “SHERIFF’S LINE DO NOT CROSS” alluding to the scene of a crime. However, if we take a step back — here is what the scene actually looked like from a photograph obtained by CNNMoney:
The police tape was actually tied to ABC News Camera equipment off screen, but on screen it is not possible to see where the tape begins or ends. Long story short, There was no crime scene.
In a response to the journalistic fraud, Julie Townsend, the vice president of communications at ABC News, told CNNMoney, “This action is completely unacceptable and fails to meet the standards of ABC News. As soon as it was brought to our attention, we decided to take the producer out of the field, and we’re investigating further.”
You’re darn right, it’s unacceptable!
How can we be well-informed Americans when our news sources are downright lying to us? This incident touches upon the major issue of corruption with too many media outlets and the ways in which we are “educating” ourselves about the world and the different people who inhabit it.
Our country is aggressively responding to ignorance and fear, and a vital part of that problem is the ignorance and lies we allow ourselves to be fed.
From major news coverage like Presidential campaigns filled with lies and corruption and the ultimate election of a bigoted sexual assault criminal to local news coverage on crimes that apparently didn’t even happen.
This is not okay. It is abundantly apparent now more than ever that as individuals, it is our vital responsibility that we keep ourselves informed. That we don’t rely on Facebook memes to give us news or swear by media sources without ever fact checking.
ABC News may have staged a crime scene shot, but this is no movie. This type of fraudulent behavior is our reality and it is unacceptable.
Our country is aggressively responding to ignorance and fear, and a vital part of that problem is the ignorance and lies we allow ourselves to be fed.