Twitter flags video shared by Trump of doctored CNN footage as "manipulated media"
A video shared by President Trump on Twitter has been labeled by the social media giant as "manipulated media." The president tweeted doctored footage of a CNN clip with the chyron "Terrified todler [sic] runs from racist baby."
The 60-second clip shows a white child chasing after a black child. It then cuts to "what actually happened," showing the two children embracing. The video concludes with a warning against fake news.
The original video actually shows viral footage of two toddlers racing to hug each other, then running along a sidewalk, and was covered by CNN last year. CNN issued a statement telling Mr. Trump to "be better."
CNN did cover this story - exactly as it happened. Just as we reported your positions on race (and poll numbers). We’ll continue working with facts rather than tweeting fake videos that exploit innocent children. We invite you to do the same. Be better. https://t.co/T1nBtejZta
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) June 19, 2020
A Twitter spokesperson told CBS News the video was flagged "to give people more context" as part of its synthetic and manipulated media policy. Under the policy, users "may not deceptively promote synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm."
This is the third incident in which a tweet issued by Mr. Trump has been flagged in some fashion. Last month, the president alleged that mail-in ballots will be "substantially fraudulent" and result in a "Rigged Election," resulting in a fact-checking label being placed on two tweets.
Both of the tweets now have a label that says, "Get the facts about mail-in ballots." The label leads to a page saying the president's tweets are not true.
A tweet by Mr. Trump calling protesters in Minneapolis "thugs" in the wake of George Floyd's fatal arrest and vowing that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" was also flagged by Twitter as "glorifying violence."
The quote the president tweeted — "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" — was said by former Miami Police Chief Walter Headley during a December 1967 news conference, according to The Washington Post, and was cited by a national commission as a contributing factor in rioting that broke out in the mostly black Liberty City section of Miami in August 1968.
Mr. Trump has yet to issue a statement about his latest tweet to be flagged by the company. Last month, he signed an executive order allowing regulators to claim internet companies are censoring free speech when they delete users' posts or accounts.