A crinnge-worthy video has gone viral on social media of a journalist in California pretending to volunteer in the wake of recent protest.
What We Know:
- An intern with the Washington Examiner, Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, was filmed on Friday by a bystander posing in Santa Monica as if she was holding a power tool near a building destroyed by looters.
- The photo was meant to make it seem as if she was repairing the damage done during the protests, but as soon as the photo was taken, the young intern returns the power tool back to the construction worker she borrowed it from, jumped back into her waiting vehicle and drove off as the bystander yells, “Good job, you guys! BLM!”
- Online commenters were instantly outraged by Moriarty-McLaughlin’s attempt to use such a painful moment in the Black community as a backdrop for a photo-op. To add insult to injury, some even pointed out that the black Mercedes-Benz she and her boyfriend drove off in was parked in a red zone.
- Even Director Ava DuVernay tweeted “You know what? I’m… I think I’m gonna put Twitter away for a few minutes before I throw this phone across the room.”
You know what? I’m… I think I’m gonna put Twitter away for a few minutes before I throw this phone across the room. https://t.co/IfbFv1HvR2
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 2, 2020
- Originally, because of the shades she wore along with a handkerchief being used as a makeshift facemask, Moriarty-McLaughlin’s identity was unknown. New York Times journalist Taylor Lorenz confirmed who she was and shared her social media handle.
Since the incident Moriarty-McLaughlin has deleted her Twitter account and switched her Instagram account to private. She has also been fired from her internship at the Washington Examiner.
