Original photo: Some smoke, limited destruction
Doctored photo: Lots of smoke, massive destruction
Ynet reports that Reuters doctored and published a photo of Beirut after an Israeli attack to show a much heavier attack. It so happens that it’s the same photographer, Adnan Hajj, who they sent out to document the aftermath of the attack on Qana who took and doctored the photo. Rolling your eyes in disbelief? I am.
A number of websites caught the fake photo – I’m not sure which is the first, although Ynet credits Littlegreenfootballs – and brought it to light. Within a day of having this info uncovered, Reuters admitted the photo was fake and issued a withdrawal of the photo to news agencies. So far I haven’t seen this news reported anywhere except Ynet.
How have some readers responded in the comments section of the Ynet article? With outrage that people would be upset at doctoring the photo. After all, parts of Beirut are under attack, so what’s a little doctored photo among news reporters?
Fortunately, Ynet also provides some other lovely photos to look at. Enjoy.
Ed. Note: According to YNetNews, a Reuters employee was suspended today after sending death threat to Charles Johnson, the man who runs Little Green Footballs and who exposed the doctored photo. The threat in question was as follows: “I look forward to day when you pigs get your throats cut.” The employee in question left his email address as “zionistpig” at hotmail.com.
Wonderful old pictures! Do you guys know if anyone has taken modern pictures from the same locations? It would be nice to do a comparison and see how things have changed.
As for the manipulated smoke photo, it must be the worst Photoshop job ever. It’s a wonder it wasn’t caught by the first person who looked at it.
Just further proof that Israel cannot win in the media…it isn’t enough that stories are already taken out of context.
What’s amazing is till now, it isnt being reported in American mainstream news. I just dont get it. Do a google or yahoo news search and this story will no come up. Why isnt this story new worthy?
This is yet another example of the importance of fringe media. I have long held that those sites justifiably abhorred for their racial or political outlook (Left or Right) can still serve a function, provided they don’t dwell in conspiracy theories, and process information in a normal manner.
wow! I have a graphic program and could use a little extra cash flow. Please send me photos to doctor up. There are examples of my doctoring on all of my web pages.
Chaim said it right, why isn’t this being reported in American news? I haven’t heard a thing about this at all until I came by jewlicious.
Wow, as a former photo retoucher, i gotta say this has got to be the worst abuse/use of the photoshop cloning tool ever. its sad that no discerning eye in the photo dept didnt catch thisweeeeellllllllll before it got out the gate
Christopher, you can always do what I did – which is alert ALL your local news affiliates with a short sweet email stating facts. Most importantly, you need to provide links that can corroborate the evidence. Be polite, be calm, and be a “concerned viewer”.
Haish: Sure. Easy for you to be calm. You live in Hawaii with nary a care in the world! Go organize another pro Israel rally or something, or sip some mai tais or whatever it is y’all do in Waikiki. 🙂
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I was kidding.
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sort of.
Sometimes the lush green vegetation that Hawaii is famous for helps to keep me calm… 😉
just kidding… sort of
Yup, it can be appallingly difficult for anyone seeking a reliable and accurate source of factual information in a time of war. What gives the Reuters story a particularly insidious quality is the subtlety of its distortion; while any willful manipulation is of course inexcusable, it’s frankly not all that easy for me to distinguish between the two posted photos. I guess that makes it all the more ironic that the story should be broken by Ynet, which I’d never heard of before a recent citation here on Jewlicious, but which turns out to be a source for some of the most unapologetic and transparent propaganda I’ve encountered in my life. Indeed, Ynet’s singular nonchalance about the dreck it publishes suggests its audience cares less about journalistic objectivity than having a cheerleader to reinforce their sense of moral superiority.
I’ve never been called a cheerleader before. Does that mean I made the cut? WOOOO!