Fox Affiliate Apologizes For Deceptive ‘Kill A Cop’ Video Edit: ‘Honest Misunderstanding’

A Fox affiliate in Baltimore has apologized for deceptively editing footage to make it sound like protesters were chanting "kill a cop," calling the error an "honest misunderstanding."

A story ran by WBFF showed Tawanda Jones—whose brother Tyrone West was beaten to death by Baltimore City Police last year—leading a group of peaceful protesters in a chant at the National 'Justice For All' March in Washington D.C. last week.

It was reported by Fox45 that the protesters were chanting "so kill a cop," but one look at the unedited footage (below) will show that they were actually chanting:

We can't stop!

We won't stop!

'til killer cops

are in cell blocks!

Even though WBFF apologized for the mistake, calling it an "honest misunderstanding," the Fox affiliate still hasn't given any legitimate explanation as to why they cut off the last part of the chant in their report—but many, including Tawanda, believe that it was purposely edited to paint the peaceful protest in a negative light.

In addition to pulling the story, Fox45 interviewed Jones who said she has been protesting her brother Tyrone's death—peacefully and respectfully—for well over a year now.

“We’ve been out there 73 weeks, never arrested, never any type of police incidences,” she said. Jones also challenged Fox45′s “honest misunderstanding”in editing the video and told the interviewer “that really gets to me, when you guys edited it and stopped- like, how could that be a mistake? You stopped right there.”

Jones also added that if you listened to the entire line it was obviously clear that they weren't saying "kill a cop," and furthermore, she would never say something like that because she is a supporter of good cops and believes the bad ones should be held accountable for such behavior.

The timing couldn't be any worse, as Fox45 cutting the segment mid-chant made peaceful protesters seem like they are calling for police to be killed in the midst of national headlines surrounding the two officers who were just brutally murdered in Brooklyn.

Given the amount of intense finger-pointing and blame-shifting going on between police, government, and protesters nationwide, to say WBFF's error was irresponsible journalism is an understatement.

To say it was an "honest misunderstanding" is just laughable.

[via Mediate]