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Facebook Apologizes for Mislabeling Iconic Trump Photo as Fake.
“ The picture shows Donald Trump with his fist up after someone tried to kill him.”
Facebook has admitted to a mistake in flagging a popular image of Donald Trump as “altered.” The photo shows Trump with his fist raised after an assassination attempt. Facebook’s algorithms marked the image as potentially misleading. Users on Platform X reported seeing the photo labeled as altered. Facebook clarified that fact-checkers had reviewed a similar image and found it false.
Dani Lever Meta’s public affairs director, explained on X that the incorrect labeling was an error. The system was meant to identify a different version of the image, not the well-known photo of Trump. Facebook apologized for the mistake and any confusion it caused.
“This was an error. The fact check was initially applied to a doctored photo showing Secret Service agents smiling. Our systems mistakenly applied that fact check to the real photo sometimes. This has been fixed, and we apologize for the mistake,” Lever wrote.
Mark Zuckerberg is now censoring this photo on Facebook. His “fact checkers” say it’s fake and suddenly won’t allow it to show. Make sure you keep sharing it far and wide and spread the word about Facebook’s election interference. cc @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/TRozwVnOwr
— LivePDDave ?? (@LivePDDave1) July 29, 2024
Lever confirmed the error when Fox News Digital reached out for comment.
The altered image Lever mentioned showed Secret Service agents smiling around Trump. Media outlets had previously fact-checked these images as “altered,” but confirmed the original image was accurate.
In the original image, none of the agents are smiling as they surround Trump, who has blood on his face and his right arm in the air. The photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, was used in coverage of the shooting by many legitimate news outlets.