GHOULISH

Associated Press Backpedals After Proudly Touting NFT of Desperate Migrants

“This is a grotesque way to earn a profit.”

The Associated Press on Thursday hurriedly attempted to scrape the egg off its face after promoting a forthcoming “NFT drop” of a raft of migrants adrift at sea. The outlet’s Twitter account deleted the tweet, which advertised a non-fungible video “of migrants drifting in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean,” after it sparked immediate backlash. “This is a grotesque way to earn a profit,” one user chided in the tweet’s replies. “Wait, hang on - are you actively monetizing imagery of human suffering?” another asked. Lauren Easton, director of AP media relations, said in a statement to The Daily Beast that it was a “poor choice of imagery for an NFT” and the auction has been canned. “AP’s NFT marketplace is a very early pilot program, and we are immediately reviewing our efforts,” she said. The AP launched its NFT project last month, announcing it would start selling its “award-winning contemporary and historic photojournalism” as digital tokens.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Justin BaragonaSenior Media Reporter

AJ McDougallBreaking News Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.