Monday, June 25, 2007

25-Jun-07: Pictures That Tell a Thousand Lies

Last summer's Hizbullah war gave many of us an education in how dishonest the camera - and more importantly, the picture editor - can be in telling a news story.

We're now pleased to have discovered the estimable SnappedShot website which focuses on uncovering image manipulation in the service of agenda-driven journalism. It's a subject close to the heart and passions of Israel's friends. Just knowing that the overwhelming majority of news agency photographers in the Palestinian regime's territory are Palestinians is a step towards understanding the infuriating pattern of misleading, dishonest and ideological imagery that are a fixture of the mainstream news media.

We're particularly impressed with SnappedShot's picture essay exposing the energetic Rage Boy. (He's the gentleman on the left in the picture on the right.) Go have a look. Just viewing the pictures is an invaluable lesson in how far from objective reality you can get with imagery.

As, for example, in the case of this notorious news-photo distortion.

No comments: