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PBS’ ‘A Capitol Fourth’ Defends, Apologizes for Old Fireworks Footage

“With the weather being overcast, we showed a combination of the best fireworks from this year and previous years”, PBS said on Twitter. The broadcasting service also called its actions “the patriotic thing to do”.

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But critics weren’t satisfied, and on Tuesday, PBS followed up with a statement saying it had interpolated old fireworks “for the best possible television viewing experience”. Read the apology statement below…

The post Watch “A Capitol Fourth” fireworks LIVE appeared first on PBS NewsHour. The fireworks bursting against the cloudy sky at the time did not match cloudless display on the screen.

However, in Washington, D.C., where A Capitol Fourth is broadcast live, the weather conditions were in fact less than stellar.

– Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) July 5, 2016Wait.is PBS showing fake fireworks from another year spliced in?!

As the fireworks rang out over the capitol, some viewers of the PBS special display noticed something wrong. The rain didn’t stop a Capitol Fourth from setting off fireworks and dazzling the crowds on the West Lawn.

Of course, with this being social media and all, someone had to outraged by the outrage, like this man who urged folks to “find something real to be bothered about”. “We apologize for any confusion”.

PBS said it has told the independent production company that it should have acknowledged use of the footage during the broadcast.

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Instead of broadcasting the live show, PBS chose to run previous shows. Big, blazing fireworks displays full of color and sparkle exploded in clear skies over the nation’s capital during portions of the broadcast.

PBS takes social media heat for using file footage of fireworks during rainy 4th of July broadcast