Fauxtographic Propaganda
Update: NewsBusters.org is running a sticky thread collecting links to bloggers' posts on the Fauxtography scandal.
Shocking fraud has unraveled this week as photographs purported to depict news events were shown to be staged and even Photoshopped. This saga began with EU Referendum questioning whether or not certain heartrending photos from Qana had been staged. Then, Little Green Footballs presented a clearly doctored photo of smoke rising over Beirut. Reuters acted promptly: they killed the photo, fired the photographer, and withdrew all the images he had submitted.
More:
Zombietime: Reuters Commits Four Types of Fraud
Hot Air: Vent - Picture Kill, 8/8/06
FreeRepublic.com: keyword 'fauxtography'
Now the questionable photos are turning up everywhere, including a Lebanese 'pieta' (above) brought to us by none other than the New York Times. Since the poor guy laying down is seen participating in the 'rescue' in other pictures by the same photographer, it all appears quite damning.
Update: NY Times issues a correction. They say he got hurt participating in the rescue. Still looks like play acting to me.
Even U.S. News & World Report has a blatantly lying photo on their cover, calling a tire fire at the dump "Lebanon's new ruins". The same scene from a different angle appears in Time magazine (7/31/06) calling it a downed Israeli jet. Hmmm.
Update: Allahpundit at Hot Air has tracked down the truth on the tire fire - and from the sounds of it, it wasn't easy. Long story to short, the fire was started accidentally by Hezbullah when one of their missile blew up in the wrong place. DOH!
Or consider the Passion of the Toys at Slublog. How did these mostly clean toys find their way into the filthy middle of bombed out ruins?
These pictures are meant to play upon our emotions and effect our thinking as we consider world events. And that makes these pictures propaganda. Thanks to this hideous breach of trust, we now know we can't trust what we are shown in pictures.
