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Iraq, Lebanon
A Rash Of (Political) Fakes
This is only the latest in a series of politically-motivated photo manipulations. For example, in June 2005, a Republican running for Governor in New Jersey published a photoshopped image -- one originally taken in the Dean Campaign -- on his website. [Note: no criticism from Little Green Footballs (LGF), per Google search.]
The summer of 2006, Sen. Joe Lieberman used a fake bumper sticker and a fake anti-Lieberman website in an ad against his challenger, Ned Lamont. [Note: I can't find a post on LGF dealing with this fakery.]
In August 2006, another campaign photo was put under the microscope. Did Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) complete a marathon in 1993 ... or is the image a fake, as her opponent (Nathan Noy) charges? (Image)
In 2008, the culprit is a Republican running for Congress in Texas. His doctored photo: the candidate's head atop the suited body of a model.
These photos are much closer to home ... they are domestic manipulations with clear political intent. However, no outrage expressed.
MSM Also Does It On Purpose
Recently, the communications department for CBS made Katie Couric appear
"dramatically" slimmer in a photo that ran in Watch magazine.
(Image)
In 2000, on New Year's Eve, CBS digitally removed the NBC logo from a Times Square and digitally inserted the CBS logo. (Image)
Perhaps the most infamous happened 12 years ago, when Time Magazine deliberately darkened its cover photo of OJ Simpson, citing creative license. Enough outrage erupted, however, for the magazine to pull the cover and print a new one; only subscribers received the doctored cover. (Image)
Want to see more? Go visit cNet
Onus On Us
In all cases, the photographer, publisher or politician violated public trust. News photos are supposed to capture a moment in time ... freeze frame a snippet of history. Readers (or TV viewers) trust news photos to convey "truth" -- and that trust is violated in each of these instances.
Image manipulation will only get better as tools -- and skills -- improve. Heck, here's a composite that I created this spring. Pretty seamless at this level of detail, no?
So what's a news consumer (or photo editor or campaign manager) to do? Organizations need to reiterate a commitment to core organizational principles. Consumers, buy larger grains of salt, I guess; the open-source web should minimize the need to purchase truckloads.
Oh -- and to Little Green Footballs, I challenge you to criticize all instances of fakery, not just those that make you feel good.