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AFP Mistakes Fake Palin for the Real Deal (NOT!)

Update: this story is incorrect. See the comments section for more

palin afp.jpg
Agence France Press made a gaffe this week when they distributed an article-cum-photo of one of Sarah Palin's interviews on American TV. The article was fine, but the picture was not — the image shows actress Tina Fey impersonating Palin on comedy show Saturday Night Live. So far, AFP has not apologized yet.

It's not the first time AFP blunders. A year ago, the agency sent a message across the world saying that the American Space Shuttle Atlantis had exploded shortly after take-off with seven astronauts on board. Ah well…

Via TV Squad

Comments

Comment from christophe Vogt
Time: October 3, 2008, 1:39 am

Bonjour

I kindly ask you to correct this post on your blog. You accuse AFP (without having checked properly or tried to contact us as far as I can tell) of having made a mistake by adding a Tina Fey picture to a Sarah Palin story. It is simply not true. If you had looked closer you would have seen that the picture is an AP picture and that the mistake comes from the Canadian newspaper Le Soleil (they run a correction today apologizing for the mistake).

We do sometimes make mistakes (you are right about the space shuttle) but we always try to acknowledge them and to correct them. I hope you’ll do the right thing and correct the post.

Best regards

Christophe Vogt

Deputy chief Editor for AFP in North America

Office: 1 202 414 0643

Cell: 1 202 285 2332

e-mail: christophe.vogt@afp.com

Comment from romke
Time: October 3, 2008, 7:59 am

You\'re right and I was wrong, so you have my sincere apologies. I was merely quoting from another source (see link above), and the story is still running across the world, so you may have to press for more corrections elsewhere.

Comment from General Pepper
Time: October 3, 2008, 9:21 am

so now you know that AFP is watching… Congratulations on this prestigious distinction!!

Comment from romke
Time: October 3, 2008, 1:54 pm

I'm sure the Elysée is watching too!