In the age of AI-generated images and Photoshop, news outlets need to be extra cautious. But one Chicago TV station learned that lesson the hard way this week after airing a doctored photo of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan following his recent car crash.
WGN 9, a CW affiliate serving the Chicago area, aired a segment about Shanahan's accident. But instead of using a real image of the coach, they used a fake one that had been circulating online. The photo showed Shanahan sitting in a hospital bed with a woman at his side. Only it wasn't Shanahan at all—it was a face swap of Shanahan's head on U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's body, with McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, as the woman.
The error was quickly spotted by viewers and shared widely on social media. One post on X (formerly Twitter) from Awful Announcing highlighted the blunder: "WGN posted a meme of Kyle Shanahan as Mitch McConnell when reporting on his car accident."
Some fans defended the network, suggesting the gaffe might have been intentional. "To be fair… It’s the WGN Morning News. While a news program, they will get silly when given the opportunity," one user wrote. Another added, "Hopefully people understand that @pattomasulo did this intentionally and it wasn’t a news mistake." A third chimed in: "I feel like when clipping WGN’s AM program that should be noted as such cause their format is a little different than the typical. It’s news wrapped around a radio morning zoo program."
But not everyone saw the humor. Many viewers were offended that a news outlet would mix comedy with serious reporting. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the line between news and entertainment, especially in morning shows.
This isn't the first time a sports figure's image has been manipulated. Just last year, Lincoln Riley had to explain his infamous brisket photo after it went viral for all the wrong reasons. And Adam Schefter faced criticism for missing details on the Shanahan crash story, further highlighting the challenges of reporting in the digital age.
For WGN 9, the fallout has been swift. The network is being ridiculed online, and the incident has become a cautionary tale for journalists everywhere. As one commenter put it, "People REALLY need to stop jumping the gun when they see a photo."
While the network hasn't officially commented on the error, the damage is done. The gaffe serves as a reminder that in a world of deepfakes and AI, verification is more critical than ever. For now, the 49ers coach can focus on recovering from his injuries without worrying about his face being used in political memes.
