White House promotes Trump TV with an altered passenger photo
France 24 reports that the White House used an AI-altered image on social media without disclosing that passengers’ screens had been changed.
The White House promoted Trump TV across its X, Facebook and Instagram accounts with a photograph that appeared to show passengers watching the channel on an aeroplane. The posts did not disclose that the image had been altered using AI.
France 24 reports that the original photograph was posted online in February 2023 and showed passengers watching the Super Bowl. One screen appeared to show the film Hitch. In the White House version, the cabin scene remained, but the screens were changed to make it appear passengers were watching Trump TV.
France 24 says image analysis detected a SynthID watermark and a reverse-image search located the earlier photograph. The report does not identify who altered the image or when.
The posts described the channel as what “everybody is watching” and directed viewers to Trump TV. The service launched in September as a 24-hour YouTube stream featuring footage of Donald Trump and White House and administration events.
The promotion comes amid the administration’s disputes with major news organisations, according to France 24. The report says Trump had banned CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House.
