France 2 airs propaganda, then apologizes for credibility

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Aug 2022 22:24
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After France 2 aired a misleading image of a damaged chimney close to Zaporozhye nuclear power plant claiming it is a Russian rocket hitting the plant itself, France 2 issued an official apology.

The photo used by France 2 confused to be a Russian rocket on Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is in fact a still image taken a handout video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry's press service shows damage at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Station (ZNPP) in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine, 7 August 2022.

France 2, a broadcaster, apologized after incorrectly referring to a broken chimney pipe on a building near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) as a Russian rocket.

The apology came via their Twitter account and stated that "this news item was produced from images from APTN [Associated Press Television News], an agency to which France Televisions [owner of France 2] is subscribed… By mistake, one of them was misinterpreted. It shows a damaged chimney, not a missile, as stated in the commentary. We apologize to our viewers for this unfortunate error."

Le 10 août, nous avons diffusé dans le 20 heures un sujet sur les frappes contre la centrale nucléaire de Zaporijia en Ukraine. Ce sujet a été notamment réalisé à partir d’images issues de l'APTN, agence à laquelle France Télévisions est abonnée. (1/3)⤵️
— Info France 2 (@infofrance2) August 22, 2022

The news item was aired on August 10 in the evening news at 8 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT).

The image that raised confusion showed two chimney pipes on the rooftop of one of the buildings that surround the ZNPP. The actual nuclear power plant may be made out in the photograph's backdrop. A tiny blast that likely caused the building to tip to one side appears to have damaged the chimney pipe in the middle, tearing away a portion of its steel covering.

Ces images montrent les dégâts engendrés par une de ces frappes. Elles étaient accompagnées d'un texte descriptif. Par erreur, l’une d’entre elles a été mal interprétée. Elle montre une cheminée endommagée, et non un missile, comme dit dans le commentaire. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/C30TZAX2iN
— Info France 2 (@infofrance2) August 22, 2022

Recent missile attacks against the Zaporozhye NPP, which is located in Russian-controlled territory, have raised concerns about a potential nuclear disaster. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe was shelled, and both Russia and Ukraine laid responsibility for it on the other, with Western media supporting Kiev's claims.