For starters, I saw an aerial photo of teachers marching toward the Legislative Building during the May 1 North Carolina Association of Educators rally that was captioned “A Sea of Red.” Honestly I was surprised–the street did not look like it was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with red T-shirts. But that’s just me.

However, there is a dispute over a photos taken on the Halifax Mall, grassy field behind the legislature that was the staging site for the rally. I had seen a little bit of back and forth on social media regarding the authenticity of a photo tweeted by NCAE president Mark Jewell, but I heard a story this morning on WFDD that definitively states there was some funny business going on:

The size of a recent teachers rally is in question, and one of the organizers recently tweeted a photo that’s in dispute.

The North Carolina Association of Educators on Wednesday marched through downtown Raleigh to advocate for teachers and students. It was the event’s second year. NCAE President Mark Jewell said he thought the crowd was bigger than last year.

….Jewell tweeted a photo that showed a sea of red education advocates covering most of the Halifax Mall, located behind the legislature. There was a crowd. However, the photo was altered to make the crowd look larger than it was in reality. We rate the statement False.

In response, Jewell tweeted:

Bottom line is the teachers rally is over, and no doubt they will rally again next, and the years after that. In the meantime, perhaps everyone can come together and focus on the education the coming generations so desperately need.