Baltimore Police Spox Slams MSNBC For Deceptive, ‘Absolutely Irresponsible’ Report

The Director of Media Relations for the Baltimore Police Department T.J. Smith took to Twitter Thursday to call out what he believed was a “shameful” and deceptive use of graphics by MSNBC.

Thursday morning, MSNBC began covering the upcoming verdict in the trial of Caesar Goodson, the officer driving the van in which Freddie Gray was killed. During the segment, MSNBC played footage of the Baltimore riots that had taken place the year before without a timestamp or any other visual indication the footage was old.

Combined with MSNBC’s banner reading “Happening Now,” online critics charged that MSNBC was being intentionally deceptive, making viewers think that Baltimore was in the process of rioting.

#MSNBC

This is irresponsible reporting

NO people are NOT rioting now in #Baltimore #GoodsonTrial #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/REeTSnevLd

— Harris from the Post (@rousseau_ist) June 23, 2016

Smith agreed, calling out MSNBC and cc’ing them in a tweet showing how peaceful the city was in reaction to the not guilty verdict.

That is absolutely irresponsible looping last years coverage. Shameful. https://t.co/HBbMPOYP5f

— T.J. Smith (@TJSmithMedia) June 23, 2016

Cc: @MSNBC This is #Baltimore. https://t.co/1U5QfjzF9h

— T.J. Smith (@TJSmithMedia) June 23, 2016

Watch  above, via MSNBC.

[Image via screengrab]
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