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Rob Finnerty tore into the legacy media this week after fresh footage and questions about Alex Pretti’s portrayal surfaced, accusing national outlets of shaping the narrative instead of reporting the facts. Finnerty and other conservative voices pushed back hard when it became clear that an AI-altered portrait of Pretti was being circulated and sometimes used on-air without disclosure.
Newly released video from January 13 shows Pretti in a heated confrontation with federal officers, allegedly kicking the taillight of an ICE vehicle and being wrestled to the ground — footage that changes the simple martyr story some on the left were selling. Conservative commentators rightly pointed out that context matters: what was initially presented as a one-line narrative now looks far more complicated after the release of multiple angles of the encounter.
At the same time, mainstream outlets were caught using an AI-enhanced image of Pretti that smoothed and “prettified” his features, prompting ridicule and an editor’s note from at least one network admitting the altered photo had been used. This isn’t a harmless Photoshop job — it’s evidence that the media ecosystem now includes AI tools that can be weaponized to manufacture sympathy or outrage on demand.
The Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights probe into Pretti’s killing, underscoring the seriousness of the incident even as the administration’s initial talking points unraveled under scrutiny. Americans deserve a full, impartial investigation, but they also deserve reporters who won’t doctor images or rush to crown a narrative before all the facts are known.
Finnerty’s skepticism — including the uncomfortable question of whether paid agitators or organized groups were steering protests — hits a nerve because elites in media and culture have long profited from predictable storytelling. If the left wants to treat every street confrontation as a neat moral drama, conservatives will keep pointing out when the stage is being set for a performance. The rules should apply to everyone: clear sourcing, visible edits, and honest context.
Hardworking Americans should demand accountability from both the federal investigators looking into the shooting and the journalists who shape public opinion about it; the weaponization of AI and sloppy editorial standards are a threat to truth itself. Don’t let anyone tell you to “believe” their narrative while they quietly swap in a doctored picture — insist on transparent evidence, unaltered footage, and reporters who act like adults, not activists.
