The Watchdog with David Bozell

The modern media no longer treats truth as a constraint. Narrative comes first. Verification follows only if convenient. “Fake News” entered the national vocabulary because the public recognized a pattern. That pattern has now evolved into something more dangerous: fabricated imagery presented as fact.

On Monday’s Deadline: White House, MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace elevated anti-ICE agitator Alex Pretti into a sympathetic icon, repeatedly described on air as an “ICU nurse who cared for veterans.” Pretti was fatally shot by ICE agents after resisting arrest. While dismissing video evidence of the incident, Wallace accused the administration of President Donald Trump of demanding that Americans “not believe your eyes and ears.”

What followed directly contradicted that claim.

During the broadcast and on associated digital platforms, MS NOW displayed an AI-enhanced image of Pretti. The image had been digitally altered to improve physical appearance, including facial structure, lighting, and complexion. The result was a manufactured martyr, visually optimized for emotional appeal.

This was not subtle. It was not accidental.

Later, in an Editor’s Note posted to YouTube, MS NOW admitted that it had “swapped out the original thumbnail image” for an “AI-enhanced” version. After the manipulation was identified, MRC NewsBusters confirmed the AI enhancement, and Tim Graham documented it in a special report.

This incident follows a familiar pattern. When the image does not support the narrative, the image is altered. When the facts resist framing, the facts are edited. The same playbook produced CBS’s deceptive edits of Kamala Harris’s 60 Minutes interview, the BBC’s selective presentation of President Trump’s January 6 remarks, and Dan Rather's infamous forged documents targeting President George W. Bush. The priority is the agenda. Accuracy is optional.

The irony is unmistakable. While Wallace accused the Trump administration of telling Americans not to trust their own senses, her own network presented viewers with a digitally fabricated image to make its subject appear more heroic and sympathetic.

The elitist media depends on distortion to survive. For 39 years, the Media Research Center has exposed these tactics. And we will not stop.

​​​Take it easy, 

David Bozell
President