Fox News takes down manipulated photos

Fox News on Friday removed manipulated images that had appeared on its website as part of the conservative outlet’s coverage of protests over the killing of George Floyd, which have occasioned peaceful assemblies in cities across the country and, in Seattle, given rise to an unusual experiment in self-government.

The misleading material ran alongside stories about a small expanse of city blocks in Seattle that activists have claimed as the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.” The police-free environment has become an object of scorn for right-wing activists and President Donald Trump.

The occupation has been peaceful, with activists from around the city visiting the car-free streets for political speeches, concerts and free food. But Fox’s coverage contributed to the appearance of armed unrest. The misleading material spliced a June 10 photograph of an armed man at the Seattle protests with different photographs: one also from June 10, of a sign reading, “You Are Now Entering Free Cap Hill,” and others from images captured May 30 of a shattered storefront and other unrest downtown.