On Thursday, Fox 24 Charleston anchor Jon Bruce told viewers that Harrison was hosting a meet and greet at a coffee shop. But as Bruce discussed the event, the photo that appeared on the screen wasn’t of Harrison but was instead the mug shot.
The use of the photo prompted criticism from state Representative JA Moore, who tweeted that it was “unacceptable” and required a formal apology. Harrison also criticized the blunder and wrote on Twitter that it wasn’t the first time he had experienced “casual discrimination.”
“I’m deeply troubled by this error in judgment by a trusted news organization and expect better from Fox 24 Charleston,” Harrison wrote.
When the photo appeared on the screen, Bruce said, “That’s not him.” Fox 24 later tweeted that the mix-up was due to a “production error.”
“We took the picture down & acknowledged the error on air. We apologize for the mistake,” Fox 24 wrote.
Guy King, the communications director for Harrison’s campaign, told Newsweek in a statement that a news organization making such an error was “deeply disturbing” and called into question the station’s “commitment to fair coverage.” Harrison later made his own statement, saying that he appreciated the “sincerity of Fox 24’s apology.” He added that local journalism was essential to an informed community.
“Our campaign is about building a movement focused on healing divisions and bringing hope back to all of South Carolina,” Harrison said. “I look forward to Fox 24’s future coverage about our effort to put South Carolinians before Washington political games.”
Newsweek reached out to Fox 24 Charleston for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Harrison was raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and is running for longtime Senator Lindsey Graham’s seat. In December, a Change Research/Post and Courier poll showed Harrison could give Graham a run for his money. Graham had just a 2 percentage point lead over Harrison, at 47 percent to 45 percent.
“I push back on ‘super-red, solidly Republican’” to describe the state, Harrison told Vox in November. “South Carolina is not West Virginia. It’s not Oklahoma. It’s not Kansas.”
Fox 24 said that the mugshot was related to another story. According to Charleston station WCSC, the photo belonged to Javondrea Shaidasha McLeod. Police said the 22-year-old shoplifting suspect attacked a Charleston police transport office and escaped as she was being transported to the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston.
The assault allegedly occurred after the driver opened the rear doors of the vehicle to check on her, according to WCSC, and she fled the scene on foot. K-9 units and a helicopter were called in to assist with the search, which ended Wednesday night.
