Jesse Watters falls for fake shark photo in Houston flooding
Watch Jesse Watters get duped by the fake shark photo on national television pic.twitter.com/sbDLuavvzS
— Eric Koch (@EricDKoch) August 29, 2017
Fox News host Jesse Watters fell for a fake photo of a shark swimming down a highway that circulated through social media Monday alongside legitimate images of flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.
Watters was discussing the extent of the “biblical things” that he saw on social media about the storm on “The Five” Monday night, including alligators and sharks.
“I’ve seen some amazing things out there just looking at television,” Watters said. “Alligators on people’s back-door steps. I saw a shark on a highway swimming in the water.
“There’s some really weird biblical things that are going on down there in Houston. I can’t imagine how I would be experiencing that as a guy from the Northeast, but I think Texas has it figured out.”
{mosads}He then agreed with co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle that the hurricane aftermath was “like ‘Sharknado,’ ” referring to a comedy disaster movie that included sharks swimming in the flooded streets of Los Angeles.
Watters was referring to a viral photo that circulated on Twitter with a misleading caption: “Believe it or not, this is a shark on the freeway in Houston, Texas. #HurricaneHarvy.”
Believe it or not, this is a shark on the freeway in Houston, Texas. #HurricaneHarvy pic.twitter.com/ANkEiEQ3Y6
— Jason Michael (@Jeggit) August 27, 2017
But the photo was quickly debunked as fake.
Guys, stop re-tweeting this photo. It’s a fake. It’s been posted every time there is a flood, anywhere. #harvey #shark #HoustonFloods pic.twitter.com/zBIEcoBfJb
— Erica Verrillo (@EricaVerrillo) August 28, 2017
Y’all please stop tweeting me that shark on a flooded highway photo
It’s fake.
It’s not Houston. It’s not #Harvey. It’s not real.
— Dianne Gallagher (@DianneG) August 28, 2017
Watters on Tuesday apologized for spreading the shark hoax, saying that he didn’t mean to alarm anyone amid “unimaginable hardships.”
“Yesterday, I made a comment about a shark in the floodwaters in Texas. I sincerely apologize if I caused concern or alarm to anyone,” he tweeted. “The folks there and beyond are suffering unimaginable hardships. My heart goes out to them.”
Harvey dropped 25 inches of rain on Houston over the weekend, and more precipitation is expected. At least eight people in the region have died, and mass evacuations are underway.
–This report was updated at 2:17 p.m.
