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July 4th fraud: PBS airs old fireworks footage in ‘live' broadcast

Posted at 12:29 PM, Jul 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-05 18:03:00-04

Twitter lit up with controversy on July 4th following an annual broadcast of PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth”. The end of the show typically features a live fireworks display over the Washington D.C. monuments.

However, Monday’s night’s weather put a damper on the festivities with clouds in the sky and rain in the forecast. Instead of cancelling the show, producers decided to put together a montage of fireworks from previously aired shows.

They also opted not to make an announcement about the change in plans.

It didn’t take long for some viewers to spot some inconsistencies with the display, though, and they took to social media to express their outrage.

At around 10 p.m. EDT, PBS not only acknowledged its decision to run the revamped footage, but defended it on social media.

Reaction continued on social media long after the last firework faded into the sky, including viewers who supported the decision.

According to the AP, PBS said Tuesday that they regretted not informing viewers that the station would be airing a rerun of the fireworks.