Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV, otherwise known as ABC 7, made a rather egregious error when reporting the latest updates in the ongoing Laquan McDonald shooting case. That’s because whoever was responsible for the broadcast’s graphics used a stock image of the McDonald’s restaurant logo instead of, well, anything with any relation whatsoever to the case. Why? Who knows, but one thing is clear — the popular fast food joint has absolutely nothing to do with the death of a 17-year-old African-American by a white Chicago police officer, which was caught on camera.
ABC 7 anchor Terrell Brown was in the midst of reporting on the case against Officer Jason Van Dyke, who pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him in December. The report itself had to do with the beginning of Van Dyke’s trial, which was scheduled to happen later on Friday. However, everything Brown was saying was quickly overshadowed by the image that appeared to his left.
Daily Beast senior editor Andrew Kirell noticed the troubling visual juxtaposition and tweeted a short Vine of the offending occurrence, saying that “this is a thing that actually happened on TV.” News of the screw up quickly went viral and made its away across local and national outlets, causing equal amounts of outrage and largely inappropriate humor on social media.
https://twitter.com/AndrewKirell/status/703252997611122688
https://twitter.com/RedSox730/status/703197523725434880
@AndrewKirell someone in production is getting fired
— . (@MarisaKabas) February 26, 2016
@AndrewKirell @mmasnick @vine is this what happens when you replace interns with algorithms?
— The Pumpkin Dipshit (@ParSpec) February 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/Vicky_Koegel/status/703253755341332480
(Via Mediaite & Chicagoist)