January 8, 2021. The New York Times reported that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died after rioters hit him with a fire extinguisher, citing officials. Media everywhere repeated it, and politicians kept saying officers were killed on January 6 for more than a year after that, including President Biden, as late as 2022 (REPORTED).

In February 2021, the Times updated its story to say sources were at odds over the fire-extinguisher account (Washington Examiner). April 19, 2021: the D.C. chief medical examiner ruled that Officer Sicknick died of natural causes, two strokes, the day after the riot. The autopsy found no internal or external injuries (AP, Washington Post). CNN reported the ruling: "Officer Sicknick suffered strokes and died of natural causes, DC medical examiner says." The medical examiner also said all that had transpired played a role in his condition (REPORTED, Washington Post). No officer was killed by rioters that day.

Hedge, FNN-style: January 6 was not "mostly peaceful." Officers were beaten and seriously injured, and the riot was violent and criminal. The graphic's sarcasm points at the media. FNN isn't denying the violence. It's saying the "killed by rioters" claim was false.

FNN analysis: when a fake death gets attached to a real riot, people who deny the riot get handed ammunition for years. Gallup's 2021 trust: 36%, with 34% "none at all."