Twitter Erupts After Trump’s White House Social Media Director Tweets, Deletes Fake News on Hurricane Irma

Twitter calls out Dan Scavino Jr. for posting a video he said was taken at Miami Airport — except it wasn’t

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Whenever natural disasters hit, there usually comes a wave of fake photos along with it — sharks swimming on the highway, for example.

White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino Jr. fell victim to fake news over the weekend when he tweeted out a video that he initially claimed pictured the Miami International Airport flooded by Hurricane Irma.

“Sharing #HurricaneIrma on social media with President @realDonaldTrump and @VP Pencehourly. Here is Miami International Airport. Stay safe!!” he tweeted.

But Scavino took down the post shortly after Miami International Airport responded to his tweet: “This video is not from Miami International Airport.”

Scavino was quick to acknowledge his error: “Thank you. It was among 100s of videos/pics I am receiving re: Irma from public. In trying to notify all, I shared – have deleted. Be safe!”

The airport then thanked Scavino for removing the fake tweet.

Scavino clearly didn’t vet the first video, which others on social media claim is from an airport in Mexico City from last month during Hurricane Harvey, and now he’s getting slammed on Twitter for his oversight.

“Maybe research *before* sharing?” one Twitter user suggested.

“You have a duty to ‘verify’ before sharing. Literally your job,” another chimed in. “Your improperly punctuated Tweet skips over that. Not okay.”

See more reactions below.

https://twitter.com/govierbill/status/906988584527204352

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