AP Photo/Jose Luis MaganaPBS was forced to apologize for a snafu with their popular "A Capitol Fourth" broadcast of the "live" fireworks in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
People noticed the footage that was aired during the broadcast differed from the actual weather in the Capitol on the holiday, showing clear skies when it was actually quite foggy and misty.
Not to mention, the broadcast also showed the Capitol—which is currently under construction—without the scaffolding that is currently set up.
As you can imagine, many people took to Twitter to point out the noticeable differences, criticizing PBS for using old footage and claiming it was live.
#Blessed to see the fireworks from my apt window & watch #July4thPBS. Tho, the fireworks out my window don't look like @pbs. #fake? ??????
— Tina (@tinpant) July 5, 2016
When the cloud coverage is bad and PBS plays fake footage of the fireworks in DC
— Alexis Sadoti (@AlexisASadoti) July 5, 2016
Thanks for your fake coverage of the July 4th, Washington DC fireworks PBS! No clouds, No scaffolding on the Capitol #July4thPBS,#beAshamed
— JoeyV (@therealjoeyjoe) July 5, 2016
After much commotion, PBS—which has broadcast the show for 36 years—took to their Twitter account to apologize and explain their reasoning behind the old footage.
"We are very proud of the 2016 A Capitol Fourth celebration," PBS said in a statement. "Because this year's fireworks were difficult to see due to the weather, we made the decision to intercut fireworks footage from previous A Capitol Fourth concerts for the best possible television viewing experience. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused."
— A Capitol Fourth (@July4thPBS) July 5, 2016
We showed a combination of the best fireworks from this year and previous years. It was the patriotic thing to do. #July4thPBS
— A Capitol Fourth (@July4thPBS) July 5, 2016
They also added, "We showed a combination of the best fireworks from this year and previous years. It was the patriotic thing to do."