Fox News has apologised after posting digitally altered photographs on its homepage that made Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle appear violent.
Owned by Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Fox News posted photographs claiming to be from a protest in Seattle that was actually a combination of pictures from different cities.
One of the doctored photographs showed a man holding a rifle in front of a store with broken windows.
Another picture showed a burning car and store with a person running down the street with the caption "Crazy Town."
That photograph featured alongside an article about protests in Seattle, but the photo was actually from St. Paul, Minnesota, taken on 30 May, according to The New York Times, CNN and The Seattle Times.
Fox News removed the photos after several inquiries by The Seattle Times, which called the incident "a clear violation of ethical standards for news organisations".
An editor's note was added to the articles with the incorrect photos, claiming they were meant to be viewed as a collage.
"A FoxNews.com home page photo collage which originally accompanied this story included multiple scenes from Seattle's 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' and of wreckage following recent riots," the note read.
"The collage did not clearly delineate between these images, and has since been replaced. In addition, a recent slideshow depicting scenes from Seattle mistakenly included a picture from St. Paul.
"Fox News regrets these errors."
Protesters against the death of George Floyd have occupied a portion of city blocks in Seattle, calling it the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, and police have allowed them free rein, according to The New York Times.
The area has been home to speeches, music and a film screening about the criminal justice system.
The network's actions have been heavily criticised by photojournalism ethics experts, with Kenny Irby calling it "terribly misleading".
"I think it's disgraceful propaganda and terribly misrepresentative of documentary journalism in times like this, when truth-telling and accountability is so important," he told The Seattle Times.
