【Movies】

Don't believe everything you see.

Today in fake happenings,Movies ABC News casually staged a crime scene by attempting to beef up its live shots with some police tape.

Is nothing sacred anymore?


You May Also Like

SEE ALSO: Hacking group targets BuzzFeed for sharing 'fake news'

Earlier Friday, ABC correspondent Linsey Davis reported an alleged crime from a field in Woodruff, South Carolina. According to CNNMoney, Davis described in horrifying detail the alleged experience of a 30-year-old woman who had been held captive in a storage container by a registered sex offender.

But a photograph obtained by CNNMoney from an anonymous source revealed something fishy. The typical mark of a crime scene -- yellow police tape with the words "SHERIFF'S LINE DO NOT CROSS" -- was tied to ABC News equipment to serve as a dramatic backdrop.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

According to CNNMoney, "sources with knowledge of the matter say the tape was placed there by ABC News" solely for the purpose of the live shot. The clip also aired on Good Morning America.

Julie Townsend, vice president of communications at ABC News, denounced the trick.

"This action is completely unacceptable and fails to meet the standards of ABC News," she told CNNMoney. "As soon as it was brought to our attention, we decided to take the producer out of the field, and we're investigating further."

This isn't the first time ABC News has presented false information.

Back in April, ABC News producer David Fazekas created a fake reservation list (using a name generator on the internet) for a very exclusive restaurant in upstate New York.

In his defense, Fazekas told The New Yorkerthat the restaurant's chef "wouldn't let us see his actual list, so I wrote it myself— like a reenactment in a documentary."

Ah, what a time to be alive.

mce

fpk

Expert writer and contributor. Passionate about sharing knowledge and insights on various topics.