Alaska Report: Examining the Facts Behind Suzanne Downing’s Disputed Claim

In a striking case of misinformation that spread rapidly across social media, conservative commentator Kelly Downing falsely accused MSNBC of airing old footage during its coverage of recent “No Kings” protests in Boston, highlighting the ongoing challenges of verification in today’s fast-paced media environment.

As of Monday morning, Downing’s video making these allegations had garnered more than 200 comments and been shared over 700 times, with many viewers accepting her claims at face value. Some commenters extended their skepticism to other protest coverage, including events in Anchorage, suggesting a broader distrust in mainstream reporting.

The controversy centers on Downing’s assertion that MSNBC deliberately aired footage from a 2017 protest while claiming it was live coverage of the recent anti-Trump “No Kings” demonstrations. In her lengthy commentary, Downing specifically accused the network of recycling aerial footage from a 2017 broadcast of “AM Joy,” which showed approximately 40,000 people gathered at Boston Common for a counter-protest against a conservative rally.

“They wanted to make it look like Boston was packed wall to wall with No Kings protesters,” Downing claimed in her video. “They got caught red-handed lying.”

However, fact-checkers quickly determined that Downing’s allegations were unfounded. BBC Verify conducted a thorough investigation, using reverse image searches to confirm that the footage in question was indeed current, not from 2017. Even Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot on X (formerly Twitter), which initially misidentified the footage as being from 2017, later issued a retraction confirming BBC Verify’s conclusion.

“We’ve broken down why Grok incorrectly came to say it was old and how this claim spread online, explained how we used reverse image searches to help debunk it and consulted with an expert to explain why AI chatbots sometimes ‘hallucinate,'” wrote BBC Verify journalist Thomas Copeland.

The incident underscores several troubling patterns in today’s media landscape. Downing’s video demonstrates how easily unsubstantiated claims can gain traction, particularly when they align with existing skepticism toward traditional news outlets. Despite providing no credible sources—citing only “awesome people on X,” the platform owned by Elon Musk—her allegations resonated with an audience predisposed to distrust mainstream media.

The case also illustrates the growing role of artificial intelligence in both creating and combating misinformation. Grok’s initial erroneous assertion about the footage’s origin helped fuel the false narrative, though the AI system later corrected itself. This highlights the potential dangers of relying on AI tools for news verification without human oversight and critical analysis.

Media analysts note that Downing’s refusal to correct her mistakes, apologize, or explain her errors fits a pattern in her work. This approach stands in stark contrast to professional journalistic standards that emphasize accuracy, transparency, and accountability.

The “No Kings” protests, which have drawn significant crowds in multiple cities to demonstrate against former President Trump following his recent conviction, have become a focal point for competing narratives about political engagement and media coverage in an increasingly polarized information environment.

As social media platforms continue to serve as primary news sources for many Americans, incidents like this highlight the critical importance of media literacy and the need for consumers to verify information across multiple credible sources before accepting or sharing claims—particularly those that align with their existing beliefs.

“There is ample evidence of laziness and sloppiness and dishonesty here,” concluded the original report, “but the network is not the culprit.”