These days many are trying to enter the NFT market and rake in some profits. But, at times, the unchecked and callous decision can bring in a lot of bad attention. That is exactly what happened with AP.
The associated press has recently come under the radar of many both domestically and internationally. The problem started when AP’s official Twitter handle posted a video of a migrant crammed boat floating in the sea as a possible NFT for auction.
The video in question is taken by Felipe Dana, who is a Brazilian photojournalist. The picture showed the ill fate of the refugees floating in the Mediterranean Sea.
As soon as the picture hit Twitter, there was severe backlash faced by the 175-year-old press agency. Many Twitterati’s mentioned how it was totally insensitive of the agency to auction a picture that was so sensitive.
Migrants and refugees are still a very kid-glove topic, and auctioning a picture like this for profit at an NFT marketplace did not sit well. It is highly controversial and certainly puts the agency in a bad light on the general public.
However, after the backlash and tweets that flooded the social media platform, AP took down the tweet immediately. However, this had already raised some serious questions about the leadership and reviewing committee of the NFT marketplace by AP.
They also posted a quick apology regarding the choice of image, their mistake in reviewing the image properly, and that the image will not be up on auction. Even after this, many people still mentioned how the NFT marketplace by AP leadership approved such an image.
Many also said that AP should shut down their NFT marketplace altogether and not auction any non-fungible token on the platform from now on.
After the incident, the NFT marketplace is still active, and there are around 13 NFTs on sale. However, the controversial image is not part of the list.
In January, the associated press announced their NFT marketplace that was launched in association with Xooa. Xooa is a blockchain technology provider. This marked the entry of associated press in the crypto and NFT market.
The director of blockchain and data licensing at AP Dwayne Desaulniers announced the launch. He mentioned that the profits that the marketplace will rake in will go to better the journalism efforts of the agency.
He also stated that they plan to add some of the most poignant images taken by AP photojournalists for auction on the platform. They also said that some of the Pulitzer Prize-winning images would also be added to the NFT platform for auction to be bought by collectors. Most of the images will be digitally enhanced.
