As if we needed another example of how cable news networks sometimes skip over fact-checking and nuance in the race to get stories on the air, here's a hilarious flub from CNN that comes to us via Mediaite. International assignment editor Lucy Pawle was leaving work on Saturday when she had to wait for the London Gay Pride March to pass by and spotted what anchor Suzanne Malveaux called "an unnerving sight."
"When all of a sudden, this man, quite distinctive from the rest of the crowd — he was dressed in black and white, whereas everyone else was brightly colored ... was waving a bad attempt to mimic the ISIS flag," Pawle told CNN. She seemed truly shocked that she was the only one who spotted this frightening infiltration. Like a good reporter, she immediately went to the parade organizers to see if they knew what was going on.
And, sadly, no one thought to point out to Pawle that this ISIS flag was not written in what she called "gobbledygook" instead of Arabic. It's written in butt plugs and dildos. Until after this report aired, that is. CNN has since taken down video of the report from its site, but YouTube recordings remain for our viewing pleasure.
To be fair, it is hard to recognize satire when the person bearing the flag is so confusingly dressed in black and white, as terrorists (and your editor) often are.