A man who rescued a child on Monday from a locked overheating car parked at a New Jersey shopping mall by smashing a car window with a sledgehammer wore a Trump 2016 t-shirt for a live interview Wednesday on the Daily Share on CNN owned HLN.
A controversy developed when screen grabs claimed the Trump t-shirt had been blurred by HLN.
The rescuer, Steven Eckel, a retired New Jersey police officer wore a blue t-shirt with white lettered Trump for President 2016 over a red, white and blue flag motif during the interview. The original airing showed Eckel, speaking via Skype, throughout the interview wearing the Trump 2016 shirt.
Subsequent showings of the interview not only blurred the Trump t-shirt, video of Eckel himself during the interview was edited out of the video so that after he was introduced with his t-shirt censored only his disembodied voice was heard.
The Washington Examiner’s T. Becket Adams at first tried to dispute the charge that HLN censored the Trump t-shirt. A while later a chagrined Adams posted video that proved himself wrong.
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771129166670495744
“I don’t get it. Like, what even is the point of making up something like this? Giggles?”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771138951788765184
“Anyway, it’s a losing war fighting propagandists online. But FWIW, that Trump supporter on HLN wasn’t censored:”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771139412596056068
“There are so many legit criticisms of the press. Just take your pick. Why make up stuff?”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771143865235537920
“Well this is deeply embarrassing. Sorry guys, I was wrong. HLN did in fact air a censored version of that interview.”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771144087512702977
“This first version of the interview showed his pro-Trump shirt. Subsequent airings of his comments were censored.”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771144273962078209
“Apologies for getting it wrong. Screwed this one up. This is a legit screenshot.”
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/771144330862006275
“Going to logout before I make a greater ass of myself.”
Original HLN interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwRNVM-7xyY
Censored HLN airing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-UqapgDrVE
