Reuters drops freelance Lebanese photographer over image

Reuters ^ | 06 Aug 2006 | Reuters

[PajamaTruthMafia]

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Reuters, the global news and information agency, told a freelance Lebanese photographer on Sunday it would not use any more of his pictures after he doctored an image of the aftermath of an Israeli air strike on Beirut.

The photograph by Adnan Hajj, which was published on news Web sites on Saturday, showed thick black smoke rising above buildings in the Lebanese capital after an Israeli air raid in the war with the Shi'ite Islamic group Hizbollah, now in its fourth week.

Reuters withdrew the doctored image on Sunday and replaced it with the unaltered photograph after several news blogs said it had been manipulated using Photoshop software to show more smoke.

Reuters has strict standards of accuracy that bar the manipulation of images in ways that mislead the viewer.

"The photographer has denied deliberately attempting to manipulate the image, saying that he was trying to remove dust marks and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under," said Moira Whittle, the head of public relations for Reuters.

"This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards and we shall not be accepting or using pictures taken by him," Whittle said in a statement issued in London.

Hajj worked for Reuters as a non-staff freelance, or contributing photographer, from 1993 until 2003 and again since April 2005.

He was among several photographers from the main international news agencies whose images of a dead child being held up by a rescuer in the village of Qana, south Lebanon, after an Israeli air strike on July 30 have been challenged by blogs critical of the mainstream media's coverage of the Middle East conflict.

Reuters and other news organisations reviewed those images and have all rejected allegations that the photographs were staged.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[nopardons]

bttt

[butternut_squash_bisque]

"Reuters, the global news and information agency..."

"al Reuters, the global news and information agency of terrorists worldwide, ..."

There; that's more accurate.

[nuconvert]

bump

[mewzilla]

"This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards...

SNORT.

[SpinyNorman]

"Reuters has strict standards of accuracy that bar the manipulation of images in ways that mislead the viewer."

Uh huh. Now what about text manipulation that misleads the reader, i.e. the restriction against the use of the accurate term "terrorist" when referring to, well, terrorists?

[Diogenesis]

Reuters knew all along

[PajamaTruthMafia]

Ping-a-ding-ding

[Centurion2000]

"This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards and we shall not be accepting or using pictures taken by him," Whittle said in a statement issued in London.

Reuter standards are much like the 11th Commandment : DON'T GET CAUGHT.

[Centurion2000]

Hajj worked for Reuters as a non-staff freelance, or contributing photographer, from 1993 until 2003 and again since April 2005.

In related news, Al-Jazeera announced it's newest staff photographer, Hajj.

[Mr.Smorch]

They got caught with their fat little jihadi hand in the cookie jar.

[jimbo123]

Al-Reuters contact information:


Simon Walker
Corporate Marketing & Communications Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 7800
Email: simon.walker@reuters.com

Ed Williams
Global Head of Executive Communication
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 6005
Email: ed.williams@reuters.com

Yvonne Diaz
Public Relations Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 2615
Email: yvonne.diaz@reuters.com

Yasmeen Khan
Head of PR, Research & Asset Management
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 0496
Email: yasmeen.khan@reuters.com

Steve Clarke
Head of PR, Enterprise
Tel: +44 (0) 207 542 6865
Email: steve.clarke@reuters.com

Moira Whittle
Head of PR - Media & Editorial
Tel: +44(0) 207 542 3436
moira.whittle@reuters.com

Johnny Weir
Head of PR, Corporate
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 5211
Email: johnny.weir@reuters.com

Avene O'Farrell
PR & Corporate Events Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7542 7457
Email: avene.ofarrell@reuters.com


Americas Timezone

Samantha Topping
Director Media Relations, Reuters America
Tel: +646 223 5223
Email: samantha.topping@reuters.com

Morgan Baden
Media Relations, Reuters America
Tel: +646 223 5596
Email: morgan.baden@reuters.com

Asia Timezone

Liam Hwee Tay
Head of Corporate Communications, Asia
Tel: +65 68 703 028
Email: liam.tay@reuters.com

[paudio]

This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards...

I believe they have a high standard: you can doctor a picture, as long as nobody can tell it. An amateurish job like this, which make people realized that it was doctored, failed their standard, so they let him go.

[Political Junkie Too]

This is probably the same tactic that was behind the forged Italian yellowcake memos. Use an obvious forgery to shift the focus away from the other news you want to hide, like the staged Qana photos.

Reuters is standing by the Qana photos by using the reaction to this photo as proof that they are honest.

-PJ

[Chena]

"This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards

Yep, just add this serious "breach" to the the mountain-high pile of breaches (also known as Mt. Sheet on Reuters PenInsultula).

[South40]

Reuters has strict standards of accuracy that bar the manipulation of images in ways that mislead the viewer.

They manipulate the read enough with their commentary.

[PAR35]

that bar the manipulation of images in ways that mislead the viewer.

A Clintonesque admission that they do doctor images. They just don't want to mislead you, they only do it to reinforce the idea that they are already trying to portray with the image.

Since they were trying to show through the image that the terrorists were victims, this image probably technically didn't violate their standards and it shouldn't have been withdrawn.

[LibSnubber]

"The photographer has denied deliberately attempting to manipulate the image, saying that he was trying to remove dust marks and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under," said Moira Whittle, the head of public relations for Reuters.

OMG, this is so rich - I just don't know where to begin!

[kcmt01]

Ah, yes, good old "fake but accurate..."

[PajamaTruthMafia]

How deep is the rabbit hole?

The return of Green Helmet
http://www.eureferendum.blogspot.com/

The unluckiest woman in the World?
http://drinkingfromhome.blogspot.com/2006/08/extreme-makeover-beirut-edition.html

Another Hajj Photo That Should Be Retracted (Seriously)
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/189537.php

[kcmt01]

You've nailed it; they didn't can him for doctoring an image, the canned him for being lousy at it.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

He broke the Reuter's code: Don't get caught.

[CyberAnt]

Why hasn't somebody posted the altered and unaltered photos ..??

The hubris of Reuters for assuming we are too stupid to notice their BIASED reporting.

[mewzilla]

and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under,"

Bad lighting conditions, huh? Just where the heck was this pic shot from, anyone know? Is there some vantage point that overlooks the city of Beirut?

[RetiredArmy]

They ACTUALLY have standards? I didn't know terrorists, their sympathizers or democrats had standards?

[TASMANIANRED]

Someone needs to go capture quickly.

I saw a link to all his submissions earlier. Others of them had been tampered with.

I'm a dweeb and can't do it.

[ovrtaxt]

Dear Earth,

We're sorry we got caught.

Sincerely,
Reuters

[TomGuy]

"The photographer has denied deliberately attempting to manipulate the image, saying that he was trying to remove dust marks and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under,"

Yeh, right!

LOL

Is his photographer related to Baghdad Bob?

[mewzilla]

I didn't know terrorists, their sympathizers or democrats had standards?

Joseph Goebbels'.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The photographer has denied deliberately attempting to manipulate the image, saying that he was trying to remove dust marks...

He did a good job - he covered them up with all that extra smoke. ;)

[Exit148]

It took news bloggers to bring it to their attention? They couldn't police it themselves?

[dennisw]

TAQIYYA!! --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taqiyya

Adnaj Hajj is a taqiyya master. Taqiyya means telling lies to the non-Muslim

Adnaj Hajj will be replaced by another rotten propagandist. Or he'll get re-hired under another name. BECAUSE this guy has the right terrorist connections to get the right propaganda photos

[umgud]

When caught, Reuters has strict standards of accuracy that bar the manipulation of images in ways that mislead the viewer.

[TASMANIANRED]

That last set needs barf alerts...

Fake, Fake, Fake

[CyberAnt]

I have answered my own question - here is a comparison of both photos which is excellent:

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2006/08/06/reuters-and-the-cloned-blown-smoke/

[Osage Orange]

Reuter standards are much like the 11th Commandment : DON'T GET CAUGHT.

Kinda like ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC's et al....

[LibSnubber]

And what "dust marks" was stupid trying to get rid of? Dust marks off of digital pics or perhaps dust marks that were getting in the way of all the smoke he wanted seen in the pics?

[RetiredArmy]

10-4, roger that.

[blam]

"Reuters and other news organisations reviewed those images and have all rejected allegations that the photographs were staged."

More work to be done?

[Deagle]

One Photographer down and 37 to go... Now let's get to the news reporters... I think that there are only about 17 that are terrorist supporters...

[Captain Peter Blood]

Reuters "USED" to have standards but that way back in the day when Julius Reuters ran the company.
Today the company is blatantly very Left-Wing and would have continued to use photographs, etc. to manipulate the news if it hadn't been caught. This is like the 3rd or 4th time Reuters has been caught using altered material in their news distribution in the last couple of years.
Will not trust anything Reuters has to say anymore than I would trust the BBC in what it puts out!!!!!!!!!

[mewzilla]

I'd like to know where this pic was taken. From what vantage point. I've taken pics in a sandstorm that I didn't need to retouch.

[Dallas59]

RACISM!

[kcmt01]

GREAT links! As far as the burning Koran is concerned, the only way to get that flame pattern is to soak it first in lighter fluid or gasoline. And let's keep an eye on the wailing woman; she might just appear as Green Hat's leading lady in the next major production.

[TomGuy]

"Reuters withdraws photograph of Beirut after Air Force attack after US blogs, photographers point out ‘blatant evidence of manipulation.’ Reuters’ head of PR says in response, ‘Reuters has suspended photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to photograph.’ Photographer who sent altered image is same Reuters photographer behind many of images from Qana, which have also been subject of suspicions for being staged.”
— Yaakov Lappin, August 6, 2006 Jerusalem Post


So, his 'suspension' may just be temporary -- until the 'investigation' is complete (or until the ruckus dies down).

[Raycpa]

[Zarro]

I know where to begin: let's file that statement right up there with "it was a wardrobe malfunction".

[teacherwoes]

>Reuters withdrew the doctored image on Sunday and replaced it with the unaltered photograph

Has anyone seen this unaltered photo?

[humblegunner]

No! It's a real photo I tell you!