AP, TV Organizations Pull Possibly Faked Tornado Video

These images taken from video were released Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by a tornado chaser who asked that his name not be used. The image at left is from a manipulated video, purporting to be of a twister that briefly touched down Saturday afternoon July 5, 2008 near Valentine, Neb. The image at right shows a twister in Rock, Kansas that the anonymous tornado chaser says he filmed on June 12, 2004. He told the AP that the altered video was flipped by the tornado chaser to make it seem the tornado was pointed in another direction, with added power lines and subtracted trees. The Associated Press and video services operated by CBS and NBC have eliminated the video. (AP Photo)
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New York (AP) The Associated Press and video services operated by NBC and CBS have pulled a video that purportedly showed a tornado in Nebraska last weekend, amid questions about its authenticity.

A tornado chaser claims the video is a doctored version of footage he shot of a Kansas twister four years ago.

The AP paid another storm chaser, Andy Fabel, $295 for video that supposedly was of a tornado that briefly touched down last weekend in Nebraska.

Evidence shows the image was “flipped” to make it seem the tornado was pointed in another direction, and the action was speeded up.

The AP has bought video from Fabel three times before, but says based on the evidence, it believes this video is not authentic.