Was a FoxNews ticker hacked with a political message?
by Steve Ragan - May 31 2011, 19:32
Was a FoxNews ticker hacked with a political message?
Earlier this afternoon, The Tech Herald received an email from a person who claimed to have hacked the FoxNews ticker outside of the News Corporation offices on 6th Ave and 48th in Manhattan. The message this person posted is political, but is the hack real or a clever bit of movie magic?
“Last night I hacked into the FoxNews news ticker on 6th avenue in NYC,” the email delivered to us starts.
“I accessed the Fox ticker basically to get your attention. Also because Fox deserves it: they're the 24/7 mouthpiece of the right wing. They are huge perpetuators of the big lie. This country isn't broke.”
The email moved on to ask where the money is going, noting that Americans “have a right to know their pockets are being fleeced by corporations and tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and we can no longer tolerate the deceit FoxNews is perpetuating.”
“For the record, I am not connected to Anonymous or any of the recent attacks on the PSN, PBS, Nasdaq or So-net. We are being lied to and you cannot stop Americans from fighting for the truth.”
As for why this person hacked the ticker, the reason is in the message presented on the screen.
“We are being lied to. [Right-wingers] are destroying the middle class and trying to kill our unions. The country is not broke. We are the richest country in the world. USA is twice as rich as China. Our economy is bigger than most of Europe combined. We are not broke. We are being lied to. We will rise up. We will fight back. We will spread the truth.”
The video is below:
Some speculate that this video is just a mashed-up bit of editing. The Tech Herald has been able to confirm the location of the ticker itself, as well as the landmarks seen in the video. What we cannot confirm is the message presented.
What are your thoughts on the video? Is it a clever hack designed to spread opinions or a hoax?
We’ve asked the person who took credit for the hack if they were planning any future messages, and if they would address the skepticism surrounding the video. We’ve also reached out to FoxNews for comment.
Update:
FoxNews has contacted us, and a spokesperson has confirmed that the video is a hoax. Based on the conversation, it was understood that they have examined the video in detail, leading them to these conclusions.
The author of the video has offered this link as proof to those calling foul on the color.
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