When controversial news breaks, it's natural for people to seek an iconic photo to cling to and share. Unfortunately, people sometimes choose the wrong photo.
After George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the Trayvon Martin murder trial, protests erupted all over the country. One photo, supposedly of the Golden Gate Bridge completely overrun with protestors, made the rounds on Twitter and Instagram over the weekend.
However, the powerful picture is actually not of protestors over the weekend, The Inquisitr discovered, but is actually an AP photo from a 1987 event called Bridgewalk '87.
Trayvon Martin protest in San Francisco ! Golden Gate Bridge is covered with people ! #JusticeForTrayvon❤ pic.twitter.com/lSPEhqLhvj
— ThePinkAngel (@BahjasGuidette) July 15, 2013
This picture of the entirety of the Golden Gate Bridge in name of Trayvon Martin honestly just speaks volumes pic.twitter.com/6qv5fmnlxC
— Claire Riddle (@claire_riddle) July 15, 2013
That's real. “@IStayWoke22: OCCUPIED: THE ENTIRETY OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IN THE NAME OF TRAYVON MARTIN!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bG6vzby1lm”
— El Yolo Loco. (@AyeTajiddin) July 15, 2013
Once some people realized that they had shared an inaccurate photo, they apologized.
Last year, when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, many fake photos of the hurricane and its supposed destruction were passed around on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Many of the most popular photos were not photos of Hurricane Sandy at all, but of other moments of dramatic weather throughout history. A few weren't even photos at all, but Photoshopped illustrations.
We said this then and we'll say it again: If a you see a photo online that looks too dramatic to be real, it may not be real.