Associated Press Under Fire For Selling Insensitive NFT Of Migrants On A Boat
In a high-profile faux pas, the Associated Press faced backlash after it announced the launch of a non-fungible token depicting migrants crossing the Mediterranean in an overcrowded boat.
The video, filmed by in-house photographer Felipe Dana, captured migrants, clad in life jackets, squeezed into a small white boat as it made its journey across the waters.
According to Forbes, over 227,000 people saw the tweet before it was deleted by the news outlet, leading to widespread disdain.
Many quickly pointed out that the NFT was capitalizing on a harrowing moment for a vulnerable community, and was being offered for sale in poor taste.
The @AP had their grotesque NFT tweet up for 4 hours, @JortsTheCat posted about it and they deleted it in 5 minutes. pic.twitter.com/9dWCSBekBj
— Brett "Solidarity 2022" Banditelli (@banditelli) February 24, 2022
Input reported that the AP has since removed its tweet and the video from auction, admitting it was “a poor choice of imagery for an NFT.”
“AP’s NFT marketplace is a pilot program, and we are immediately reviewing our efforts. As a not-for-profit, AP’s mission is to inform the world with accurate, unbiased journalism,” the company said.
(2 of 2)
— The Associated Press (@AssociatedPress) February 25, 2022
AP’s NFT marketplace is a pilot program, and we are immediately reviewing our efforts. As a not-for-profit, AP’s mission is to inform the world with accurate, unbiased journalism. That remains our primary focus.
[via Forbes and Input, cover image via Jarretera | Dreamstime.com]
