President Obama not sexual assault suspect, San Diego TV news apologizes - iMediaEthics

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A screenshot from the report that falsely linked President Barack Obama to sexual assault. (Credit: Fox 5 San Diego via Times of San Diego, screenshot)

Fox 5 San Diego wrongly suggested that Barack Obama had been a sexual assault suspect.

The television station, KSWB, showed a picture of Obama with the headline “no charges” Feb. 13 during a report about a sexual assault suspect who would no longer face charges, the Times of San Diego reported.

See the segment below, via Times of San Diego.

 

The station apologized last night on air for its mistake. Anchor Misha DiBono said, according to the Times of San Diego,

“And we have an apology now. Friday night at 10 o’clock, we inadvertently used a photo of President Obama while reporting on a story about charges being dropped in a local case. We regret the error.”

KSWB also published an apology on its website reading:

“Last Friday night during KSWB-TV’s 10 p.m. newscast, we inadvertently displayed a photo of President Obama while reporting a local story on the police dropping charges in an ongoing criminal case. The mistake was unintentional.  On Sunday’s 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts we delivered an on-air apology for the mistake.  As we said then, we regret the error and apologize to our viewers for making it.”

The graphic designer who made the error apologized for the error in the comments section for the Times of San Diego, Jim Romenesko  reported.

“This is by far the worst” mistake he’s made, the designer Thomas Condry wrote.

iMediaEthics has written to Fox 5 San Diego’s news director Rich Goldner for further comment.

A few days ago, the Lexington, NC Dispatch corrected a headline on a letter to the editor. The headline incorrectly said the letter writer thinks Obam is the Antichrist, when the letter reader really said he thinks Obama is the seventh king before the Antichrist in the book of Revelation.

UPDATED: 2/17/2015 7:50 PM EST

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President Obama not sexual assault suspect, San Diego TV news apologizes

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