MSNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan apologized this morning for using fake photos of Sarah Palin last Friday in a segment about the former Alaska governor, and for not acknowledging their inauthenticity.The pictures, which were widely circulated during last year's presidential campaign, show Palin's head photoshopped onto other women's bodies. In one, "Palin" is wearing an American flag bikini and holding a rifle; in the other, the faux Palin is wearing a tight black miniskirt.
"I want to apologize to Gov. Palin and all our viewers. On Friday, in a very misguided attempt to have some fun in advance of Palin's upcoming book, Going Rogue, our staff mistakenly used some clearly photoshopped images of Ms. Palin without any acknowledgment, and on behalf of the show I would like to say that this was completely unacceptable. We should have never used those photos in the first place," Ratigan said today. "I apologize."
He also said the staff has taken "measures to make sure it will never happen again."
In the segment, which explored "What it is about Palin that drives America wild," the miniskirt image appeared when Ratigan said "She's hot." The bikini image, juxtaposed with one of former Vice President Cheney holding a rifle, comes as Ratigan said, "She's not Bush."