BANGKOK — A Nation TV political pundit tweeted a photo of a hellish burning cityscape Friday night he attributed to anti-Trump protests in the United States.
The only problem was the photo was taken in Venezuela two years ago when anti-government protests erupted into a riot.
“The prototype of democracy, the U.S., is in flames. Six states protest against President-elect Trump. #NationTV,” Chalieo Khongtug tweeted.
Chalieo formerly an editor of Nation Group’s Kom Chad Leuk newspaper, did not respond to an inquiry sent via Twitter on Saturday. The tweet has since been deleted without any explanation.
Several comments were left on his Facebook page asking for him to explain what happened.
“Please give society an answer,” user Anuchit Ruengpradit wrote. “Is this real news or did you get fooled again, and shared without thinking of the consequences?”
The dramatic photo showing a wall of flame approaching a McDonald’s franchise was presented by a Fox News channel last year as showing Baltimore, Maryland, burning due to riots after an African American resident was killed in a police van.
Nation TV, part of a media conglomerate which includes television channels and English- and Thai-language newspapers, has been criticized for its share of gaffes.
In January, Nation TV befuddled the internet by announcing Disneyland was coming to Laos, and in March failed to comprehend satire in a report on how a new Balenciaga bag was inspired by Thai street vendors. In August 2015, it was forced to apologize for sending a reporter into the Erawan Shrine dressed as the suspected bomber three days after the attack.
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