When the state tax funded broadcasting company SVT aired the weekly news program "Agenda" on Sunday, an AI-generated clip was shown twice during a segment about ICE agents in the US.
– It is not uncommon for ICE federal agents to be pitted against local police, was SVT's claim before the clip was shown.
That part was cut out from the program later Sunday night, along with the fake clip.
– It is unfortunate that we accidentally published an AI-generated clip, says Agenda's editor-in-chief Michael Kucera, to SVT.
SVT is a Swedish television company, funded by Swedish taxpayers. Sunday night SVT aired the weekly news program "Agenda".
One of the news segments for the night was about "contradictions in the US regarding the deportation of undocumented immigrants", according to SVT, as they admit the mistake late Sunday night.
The segment in question was titled "Resistance to Mass Deportation."
When host Camilla Kvartoft introduces the episode, she says:
– President Trump's immigration police ICE arrests record numbers of undocumented immigrants but faces fierce resistance in democratically governed cities.
Then we get to see the AI-generated clip showing the local police and an ICE agent for the first time, a video that is supposed to show the fierce resistance.
That entire section was later cut out in the new version.
Later on in the program a longer news segment about ICE is aired. This is the second time the AI-generated clip is shown.
The reporting shows tumult in the streets and the reporter in the piece describes that "similar scenes have unfolded in several major Democratic-controlled cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and most recently here in Charlotte, North Carolina".
He continues:
– Four of the cities have declared themselves as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants, and refuse to cooperate in the arrests, and then it is not uncommon for ICE federal agents to be pitted against local police.
That is when the AI-generated clip is shown.
When Agenda aires a new version of the program on SVT's streaming platform "SVT Play" later on, the clip in question has been removed.
But the SVT reporter's claim has also been cut out:
"and then it is not uncommon for ICE's federal agents to be pitted against local police".
Why they chose to remove that part of the sentence is unclear, but Riks has contacted SVT for an explanation.
Instead, only the first part of the sentence remains:
– Four of the cities have declared themselves as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and refuse to cooperate with the arrests.
In the correction, which is written in the description of the now cut version, there is no information that they have also cut out that part of the reporting:
"In an earlier version of the program a police in an AI-generated clip was by mistake aired in a segment about the American migration agency ICE. That clip is now removed from the program".
Neither does SVT comment the removed part when the host Camilla Kvartoft says:
– President Trump's immigration police ICE arrests record numbers of undocumented immigrants but faces fierce resistance in democratically governed cities.
In the now-deleted sequence of the alleged altercation, a man, whom SVT portrays as a "local police officer", is shown shouting in the street at what is then supposed to be an ICE agent:
– I'm an officer too! You cannot do this out here, says the "local police officer".
– Please step aside, sir, replies the "ICE agent".
– No, what you are doing is illegal. You don't have jurisdiction to snatch people of the street in my city.
– We are following a federal order.
– You are violating the law.
Behind the "local police" you could also see a man wearing a protective vest with the word "Police" misspelled. Instead it is read "Poice".
"The AI clip, which was part of the feature, showed what appeared to be a local police officer from New York scolding an ICE agent in an urban environment," SVT writes in the following news article regarding the matter.
– It is unfortunate that we accidentally published an AI-generated clip. The audience should always be able to trust that images in "Agenda" are authentic, says Agenda's editor-in-chief Michael Kucera, to SVT.
– We are now reviewing our procedures to ensure that similar errors do not occur in the future.
The clip was shown on two occasions, at the beginning of the program when news anchor Camilla Kvartoft announced the upcoming feature, and at the end of the longer feature that was shown later.
SVT temporarily removed the program and when the new version later is re-posted on SVT's streaming platform "SVT Play", a correction is attached to the text.
But nowhere does it say that SVT has also removed the reporter's claim:
"and then ICE's federal agents are often pitted against local police".
Neither is the part when the host Camilla Kvartoft says:
– President Trump's immigration police ICE arrests record numbers of undocumented immigrants but faces fierce resistance in democratically governed cities.
Riks has asked Agenda's editor-in-chief Michael Kucera on SVT about the fad. Riks had still not received a response 13 hours after the first request.
The questions that Riks sent to SVT are:
• When you posted the new version during the night before Monday, the current AI-generated clip was removed.
But the SVT reporter's statement before the clip was shown has also now been cut out: "and then ICE's federal agents are often pitted against local police".
Instead, only the first part of the sentence remains:
- Four of the cities have declared themselves as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and refuse to cooperate with the arrests.
Why did you choose to remove that part as well?
I also wonder why it is not clear in your correction that this part of your reporting has also been removed?
• Camilla Kvartoft's cut-out words, when she presents last night's feature, are not commented on by SVT in the correction either:
- President Trump's immigration police ICE is arresting a record number of undocumented people but is facing stiff resistance in democratically governed cities, she said.
• Your reporter in the now removed sequence states that local police "not infrequently" confront ICE agents.
What evidence do you have for that claim?
• Viral AI-generated clips on ICE are spreading on social media right now. How can it be that SVT is broadcasting one of these in the report?
• You can clearly see that one of the police officers is wearing a protective vest with the words "Poice" instead of "Polis" - how could you miss it?
• How does this affect your credibility - not only that the clip was aired on SVT, but also that you choose to leave out your reporting related to it in your correction?
SVT is a Swedish television company. In the description of the company on its homepage it says:
"SVT is together with the public service radio (SR) the most trusted Swedish media and enjoys a very good support from the Swedish TV audience".
"From January 1st 2019 SVT is financed by a public service fee which is income based and collected as a tax".
Agenda is a weekly news program shown Sunday nights.
The news distributor Kvartal could earlier report that SVT has edited president Trump's speech in a similar and misleading way as BBC.
The passage where Trump urges his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically make their voices heard", was not reported.
The editing by SVT has also been noticed internationally. The X account Libs of TikTok writes that the Swedish public service "also seems to have edited Trump's speech to make it look like he was calling for a riot, just like the BBC did".
SVT Nyheter has noted the editing and updated the text for the clip.
The channel's editor-in-chief Karin Ekman comments the clip to SVT.
"It's good that our attention been drawn to this clip. Now we will think about how to ensure that short clips in connection with documentaries always have an understandable context."
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