updates below
Do all balding black guys look the same to ABC News? As anchor Charles Gibson teased a Tuesday World News story, about DC administrative law judge Roy Pearson's $54 million lawsuit against a Korean family's Washington, DC dry cleaning establishment over losing a pair of his pants, viewers saw video of what clearly appeared to be ex-DC Mayor Marion Barry. Gibson announced, over video of Barry in front of the DC courthouse, “Pant Suit: Ever lost anything at the dry cleaners? This man did, and claims he deserves $54 million dollars and he's not pulling your leg.”
Barry is now a member of the District's City Council, but he has been in some legal trouble of late over charges of driving under the influence, and thus has recently visited the local courthouse.
Video clip, from the 6:30pm EDT feed of World News, of Gibson teasing the story about the suit against the dry cleaner, with video of Barry (12 secs): Real (600 KB) or Windows Media (800 KB). [See after the jump for a screen shot of the real Pearson and do your own comparison.]
The story from Jim Avila, which aired as the last report on the June 12 World News, included video of another man identified as Pearson and was, presumably, of the real Pearson. That subsequent video matches the man identified by Pearson in a story on ABC's Washington, DC affiliate WJLA-TV. This page displays a screen shot of Pearson along with video of WJLA's story.
The civil trial opened Tuesday and Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher has written a summary of the antics in the first day. For a picture of the husband and wife being sued, check this page on Emil Steiner's Washington Post “OFF/beat” blog.
The ABCNews.com version of Avila's story.
UPDATE: ABC corrected the video for later editions. The tease at the top of World News as aired at 9pm EDT on NewsChannel 8, a DC-area cable news channel owned by the local ABC affiliate, replaced the video of Barry with video of Pearson. Gibson's audio was not changed.
UPDATE, 3:30pm EDT Wednesday: TVNewser noticed how the ABCNews.com "The World Newser" blog posted this note:
Last Night's Broadcast
June 13, 2007 11:00 AM
Tuesday's 6:30 pm, ET feed of "World News" mistakenly used video in the program's open of DC council member Marion Barry instead of Roy Pearson. We immediately recognized the error and corrected all subsequent feeds of the broadcast. We are deeply sorry for this mistake and apologize to Mr. Barry, Mr. Pearson, and to our viewers for the error.
UPDATE, 16:45 EDT, June 19 (Ken Shepherd): Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane picked up on this item last Thursday and wrote about it at his "Raising Kane" blog. Kane sees a systematic carelessness in newsrooms when picking through file photos of famous black people:
I am in the news business, so I know people can always make mistakes.
But the way some national networks continually mis-identify pictures of
black people needs to be addressed by the journalism industry. Maybe
they need more diversity in their newsrooms so they can ask a black
person to identify each picture?
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
When I was living in DC, a
June 12, 2007 - 20:03 ET by daveinbocaWhen I was living in DC, a black law student friend of my wife was an "Administrative Judge" in the District of One-Third Illiteracy. Like this clown Pearson, Claudia had juked her way into the job and used it for her own purposes, as she confided to me one drunken evening at our home. After telling me she had paid her way through a Boston Law School by hooking on the side, she said that old habits die hard, in the sense that she had worked her way into her judgeship under Marion Barry the same way she worked her way through law school.
True story, and DC is as much a swamp of leftardos today as it was back in the disco days of yore.
daveinboca
June 13, 2007 - 02:20 ET by SportPoliticsSorry for your troubles, I hope you used extra hot water and some bleach on the utensils and glasses.
lol - Oh man...
The 3rd world has been here for some time
Wow, good thing prostitutio
June 13, 2007 - 07:02 ET by sarcasmoWow, good thing prostitution's illegal almost everywhere! Oh, wait....
JMR
If they were Mayor Barry's pa
June 12, 2007 - 20:16 ET by general companyIf they were Mayor Barry's pant's then that would exsplain everything
You could ask Fox News these
June 12, 2007 - 20:20 ET by balboaYou could ask Fox News these same questions, since they couldn't tell the difference between Conyers and Jefferson.
Fox News apologized to Conyer
June 12, 2007 - 21:07 ET by ZoneDaiatlasFox News apologized to Conyers will Charles Gibson and ABC do the same?
When did Faux apologize?And w
June 13, 2007 - 13:11 ET by j. frank wilsonWhen did Faux apologize?
And when they confused Harold Ford and Mr. Obama?
bal,LOL-Hell, I can't tell
June 12, 2007 - 21:14 ET by Dave Rbal,
LOL-Hell, I can't tell the difference between Conyers & Jefferson!
:-^)
Build the damn fence, George!
I couldn't pick either out of
June 12, 2007 - 21:24 ET by balboaI couldn't pick either out of a lineup. Just wanted to get a shot in at Fox. :-)
Heck, most Americans didn't
June 12, 2007 - 21:46 ET by Free StinkerHeck, most Americans didn't notice that an Irishman was playing James Bond, in several films. ;-)
And anybody thinks there's no difference, go to Ireland and call everyone you meet English. See how you do.
I'm afraid most young America
June 12, 2007 - 21:51 ET by TruthMongerI'm afraid most young Americans don't even know what you mean by "Ireland" and "England..."
It's that fine education th
June 12, 2007 - 22:10 ET by Free StinkerIt's that fine education the Liberals have been dishing out in the Indoctrination Centers, er, I mean public schools. ;-)
ask em about global warming,
June 12, 2007 - 22:18 ET by TruthMongerask em about global warming, or condom use, or if you want them to supersize something...
an Irishman was playing James
June 12, 2007 - 22:14 ET by dahliatraversan Irishman was playing James Bond
And a Scott before that ...
Let us not forget the Austr
June 12, 2007 - 22:21 ET by Free StinkerLet us not forget the Australian, either!
This one is easy: Marion Ba
June 12, 2007 - 20:24 ET by jdhawkThis one is easy: Marion Barry is the adle brained crack head that was caught by the police back in the day smoking dope . He was arrested, tried, and convicted. Oh yeah, he was the serving D.C. mayor at the time.
Fast forward: Marion Barry drives our nation's capitol drunk and is arrested repreatedly for it. Oh yeah, he is a serving D.C. Councilman.
Did we hear outrage back in the day? No, the drive-by media was mad at the police for "entrapment."
Do we hear outrage that Barry is up to his old tricks? Not a word. Although, the fact checking third grader who messed up this story is being accused by ABC of being a Republican!
Meanwhile, misdirection - the "story" of the dork that is sueing about his messed up pants.
People who do things like thi
June 12, 2007 - 22:16 ET by dahliatraversPeople who do things like this should have their right to sue forever revoked, no matter how badly they are subsequently wronged.
Bitch set me up!
June 12, 2007 - 23:59 ET by mastersofdeceitBitch set me up!
Well they obviously have to cheese it for misdirection
June 13, 2007 - 02:25 ET by SportPoliticsWell they obviously have to cheese it for misdirection. It covers up for Marion and for the idiot 54 million dollar dungbucket.
"He's doing it for everyone who ever had this happen to them at a dry cleaners."
Uhh, is he "sending everyone who ever had it happen to them a check as well ?"
Gawd, how come he gets to sue for 54 million people ?
Oh yeah, it's affirmative action for losers, called judges, in cahoots with eachother.
Wow! 54 million dollars?
June 12, 2007 - 20:51 ET by riff_raffWow! 54 million dollars? There must have been a whole mess of crack in Marion Barry's pants pocket.
Wonder if olbermann will be s
June 12, 2007 - 21:37 ET by well99Wonder if olbermann will be screaming about ABC being racist like he did with FOX after their mistake.
let's not forget MSBNC when t
June 12, 2007 - 23:12 ET by jwm45let's not forget MSBNC when they mispelled Niger Innis' name on the screen
I don't think Oderboy is in
June 12, 2007 - 23:59 ET by daveinbocaI don't think Oderboy is interested when ABC messes up, or anything else that is wrong with the stinking ultra-left MSM.
Just FOX, which whips his sorry butt every night in the ratings about 4/1, unless it's 5/1 on a special occasion!
Like Wednesday nights, when the truly funny Dennis Miller comes on and cracks more witty apercus in five minutes than Odorboy does all week long.
Had this been Fox News Chan
June 13, 2007 - 07:55 ET by Sergeant ROCKHad this been Fox News Channel, they'd have declared FNC racist.