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A Fox affiliate in Phoenix accidentally shared test election results during a live news broadcast.
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“This graphic was never intended to be broadcast, the numbers are only part of the test,” said Fox 10.
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The incident sparked conspiracy theories on social media about election rigging.
A Fox-owned television station in Arizona said it accidentally released test election results during a live broadcast, a move that sparked conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
Fox 10 Phoenix said in a statement Thursday night that during its live news broadcast at 5:50 p.m. The results said they were produced and distributed by the Associated Press. historically Provides clients with election results.
Screenshots of a newscast showing the results of the Arizona gubernatorial election circulated on social media, although Fox 10 erroneously did not name the specific races it shared results with.
“This graphic was never meant to be broadcast. The numbers are only part of the test. The broadcaster has taken steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Fox 10 said. Told.
One newscast screengrab posted on Twitter by Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gossar showed the results of the test election, with Hobbs receiving 53% of the vote and Lake receiving 47%. The timestamp on the screengrab matched the time Fox 10 said the incident occurred.
Mistakes Fox 10 admitted in a statement shared by both twitter When Facebooksparked harsh comments on news stations and prompted individuals to post conspiracy theories on social media platforms.
“Why are Democrats always leading after these ‘tests’ are over?” one Twitter user wrote in response.
“I hope you get sued for this. Can’t wait to see the discovery process take place. Fox 10 and @AP rigging the election? Who is telling you this?” It will all come to light…” another user said.
On Facebook, one user accused the media of “already telling” the election results “regardless of the number of votes.”
“Voter Intimidation Fox 10 Phoenix. Ballots are still being collected but your station will do this!! No excuses!!” said another user.
Defending Fox 10’s wrongdoing, Tennessee’s WTVC NewsChannel 9 said the test election results were “not a malicious and fraudulent election plan. FYI.”
“Before each election night, @AP will test the election results system to ensure it is working properly. If you don’t enter a number to test, you can’t test it properly.” WTVC said. Said.
The incident comes just weeks before the 2022 midterm elections, amid mounting rhetoric among Republicans about baseless election fraud allegations.
Earlier this month, the FBI warned Voters about possible various electoral crimes.
Read the original article at business insider