Some journalists were not in a joyful mood after President Trump tweeted a lighthearted meme on Wednesday about the military working dog who helped track down and kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The meme, made by the Daily Wire, depicts Trump giving a medal to the dog in a similar fashion to the president awarding a service member the Medal of Honor.
AMERICAN HERO! pic.twitter.com/XCCa2sGfsZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2019
While many on social media appreciated the sentiment, especially since the canine was wounded during the raid, some who took exception to the meme came from our brave defenders of democracy: people in the media. They wanted to make sure people knew the image, which featured the Daily Wire's watermark, was not a real photograph but was "doctored."
Fine, just the president of the United States disseminating a doctored image created by a right-wing propaganda site. pic.twitter.com/Ky26zdDaXe
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) October 30, 2019
"It's photoshopped," acknowledges a @WhiteHouse official. The dog is not here at the @WhiteHouse -- yet.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 30, 2019
It's just misleading. Obviously it is doctored but to be tweeted out like that without context makes people believe it's real, and from the other responses, people do actually think that.
— Valerie Schremp Hahn ?? (@valeriehahn) October 30, 2019
The leader of the free world is ganking boomer memes from Ben Shapiro's clickbait factory https://t.co/3vZoxletzB
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 30, 2019
How a photograph looks when it isn't doctored!!! ?????? https://t.co/MFUZC8hWEc
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) October 30, 2019
2019 America. This is how you change a culture: lots of misinformation spread by a leader with a cult following and mainstreaming of rightist ideas and images. Has worked for 100 years. https://t.co/XepRmcNfkO
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) October 30, 2019
Why the terrible photoshop on top of everything else? WHY? https://t.co/ZogZwAyvmL
— Anushay Hossain (@AnushayHossain) October 30, 2019
It's almost as if the industry has gained a reputation for being filled with humorless scolds that can't even find a small bit of joy in something, like say, a dog assisting in ending the life of a brutal terrorist leader.
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