Reuters Caught with Doctored Lebanon Photo, Again

Newsbusters/Reuters ^ | August 28 | John Armor

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

You would think that Reuters learned its lesson about publishing to the world photos doctored to create a false image. After all, they were caught with multiple false photos from Lebanon, and had to take down more than 900 images from one stringer. Reuters promised it would have "experienced editors" look at all such photos in the future.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

You can just look at this one and tell that it is fake.

But anybody have a link that goes in depth?

(adminmoderator, this belongs in the sidebar, right? The other ones did)

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

For anybody interested, here is the first photoshopped image

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678623/posts

And the second

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678852/posts

I thought that Reuters canned Adnan Hajj? Apparently he wasn't the only one?

[COUNTrecount]

The flag isn't white. As bloggers have noted, the contrast on this photo has been punched up to turn light blue into white. The UN helmets which are actually light blue, seem white with slight shadows. The "white" flag is actually a back-lit, blue, UN flag. Confirmation of the doctoring of this photo is that the background of the poster in the upper right has entirely disappeared, so its black words seem to float in a "white" sky.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Errr, This is for the second photoshopped image. Sorry.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678950/posts

[The G Man]

Here's the photo. Supposedly the color blue was lightened up so as to appear white in the UN flag (note the blue helments also appear white):

[hellinahandcart]

Am I the only one who thinks the photo is hilarious?

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Yeah, you can see the washed out UN logo on it.

The part that looks photoshopped to me is the entire tank; looks like it was artificially just set in there.

[Jeff Head]

Brightness turned up to the point that the blue flag and helmets of the UN personnel appear white. Clearly doctored photo.

Unfortunately, though those items are not white, the net effect of what was done in this foolish cease fire is raltively accurate. We should have not only let Israel continue to destroy Hezbollah, we should have encouraged it until it was well and fully done.

[saganite]

Needs more keywords.

[AFreeBird]

Okay, so what's the point of making the blue into white? Well, aside from the obvious FR perspective on the UN.

What is this "photoshopping" buying them?

[BallyBill]

I'm really missing something here. They filtered the light blue to appear white? Why? Is it to make it appear the U.N. is surrendering to Nosehairlla?

Sorry, I guess I'm out of outrage.

[aruanan]

The UN helmets which are actually light blue, seem white with slight shadows.

The UN helmets look light blue. Adjusting the contrast isn't doctoring the photo. And I don't think that's a white sign in the upper right since it would have to be behind the other sign and then behind the building that is to the left and considerably farther behind that sign.

[wagglebee]

I think it's possible that Reuters played with the brightness on this one. But I don't think it's quite accurate to say that it was actually doctored. Because of glare, etc. it's not unusual to alter brightness before publishing a photo. It is possible that due to the glare of the sun this is the way it actually appeared and darkening it would have made everything look black.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

The photoshopping isn't "buying" them anything per se.

But this is the liberal media we're talking about. I'm honestly surprised we don't see photoshoppery on other topics as well, not just from lebanon.

I'd go so far as to say that the editors at reuters noticed this as well, and didn't care. They want this type of crap getting published, look at all of their pro-hezbollah articles. The entire media is infested and saturated with it.

It's like a bad episode of the matrix.

[Carry_Okie]

I do a fair amount of photoshop work to deal with difficult lighting conditions. I really don't think this in any way represents a deliberate distortion. The photo is an interesting montage obviously taken in high contrast light. They had to punch up the shadow levels to have a photo at all. They got lazy and didn't fix the color.

Personally, I think the author is getting paranoid.

[P-40]

Okay, so what's the point of making the blue into white?

It is probably just the result of someone trying to lighten up a dark photo.

[KoRn]

"Am I the only one who thinks the photo is hilarious?"

Nope.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690813/posts

[Bringbackthedraft]

"A French" United Nations vehicle drives past a photo of Hizbollah leader .... Nasrallah, in Tyre...." .......That explains it, the flag is white!

[Thombo2]

"What is this photoshopping buying them?"Good question.Nothing as far as i can see.But perhaps they see the UN as a joke-like the rest of the world.

[TomGuy]

I'm not sure it is doctored.

It appears more to be lighting (sunlight) that gives the impression that the flag is white, rather than intentional doctoring.