Bloomberg TV has apologized after releasing a promo image for Bloomberg’s coverage of Hillary Clinton’s afternoon news conference that featured a Photoshopped picture of Clinton. After users on Twitter and elsewhere questioned the image, the network responded:
Bad call on the Hillary promo graphic. Should have taken the time to find the right original image. We take full responsibility.
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) March 10, 2015
Bloomberg pushed out the promo graphic early Tuesday, using it in social media efforts ahead of the Clinton event, and sending it to newsrooms including TVNewser. Keen observers noticed the poor fit between Clinton’s face, hair and body, and questioned the image.
The network’s explanation, that it was somehow faster or easier to Photoshop Clinton than to simply use one of the tens of thousands of available images of the former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State led some to suggest the unflattering image was intentional:
Yes, @bpolitics did photoshop Hillary’s head onto a different body to make her look worse. pic.twitter.com/0XfApn9sBA
— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) March 10, 2015