LeBron James calls out Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, reporter clarifies fake activism claims

Editor's note: Almost 3 weeks subsequent to the publishing of this story, Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin wrote an opinion piece in USA Today in which she clarified the sequence of events that took place before and after what she dubbed as her '17 seconds of infamy'. 

Moriarty-McLaughlin primarily clarified the following claims:

1. That she was not posing for an Instagram photo to portray herself as a volunteer
2. That the denunciations of her behaviour by US publications and celebrities like LeBron James and Pink were based on incorrect facts.
3. That the person who recorded the video of her attempting to help - not pose - was her father and not her boyfriend.
4. The quote attributed to her - “Good job guys, BLM” - was by one of the hecklers off camera.
   
   The full clarification may be found here.

The brutal murder of George Floyd in Minnesota last week has seemingly flipped a switch in Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James, who has taken to social media to express his discontent over the situation. In a series of tweets, the NBA star hit out at police brutality and backed the peaceful and silent protests in the United States. LeBron James also hit out at Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, an intern with the Washington Examiner, for her reported 'fake activism' in a bid to Instagram pictures.

Also Read: LeBron James Asks "Why Doesn't America Love Us?" Amidst Protests Against Floyd's Death

LeBron James calls out Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin for fake activism to Instagram pictures

In a video that has been doing the rounds on Twitter, a woman could be seen posing with an electric drill in her hand while a man took a photo of her. Initially, the woman confirmed as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin by New York Times journalist Taylor Lorenz, was actually helping out a community that had been affected by looting amid the George Floyd protests. However, mulriple reports suggested that when she walked back to a black Mercedes, the woman could be heard discussing her Instagram and that the entire act was a planned photo op.

The video caught the attention of American filmmaker Ava DuVernay, which was later retweeted by Lakers star LeBron James. James hit out at Fiona Moriarty-Mclaughlin with a series of dissenting emojis expressing his discontent. Following the heavy backlash from LeBron James and the rest of Twitter, Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin made her social media accounts private on Monday before deleting them altogether overnight.

Also Read: Blackout Tuesday: LeBron James, Steph Curry Among NBA Stars Supporting #BlackLivesMatter

LeBron James on George Floyd

LeBron James was one of the first NBA stars to raise his voice and bring attention to police brutality in the wake of Geroge Floyd's death. The Lakers star shared messages from the likes of American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Killer Mike and Jalen Rose, who also expressed their support for the peaceful and silent protests. LeBron James had earlier shared a picture of Floyd being pinned down by the officer alongside a picture of former NFL star Colin Kaepernick kneeling to the national anthem. While Kaepernick's actions back then in 2016 were heavily criticised and cost him his NFL career, his protests have garnered attention amidst the recent events of racial discrimination. 

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