Adnan Hajj photographs controversy
Encyclopedia
The Adnan Hajj photographs controversy (also called Reutersgate) involves digitally manipulated photographs
taken by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese
freelance photographer based in the Middle East
, who had worked for Reuters
over a period of more than ten years. Hajj's photographs were presented as part of Reuters' news coverage of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
, but Reuters has admitted that at least two were significantly altered before being published.
wrote that the first image "shows blatant evidence of manipulation" (Adobe Photoshop
clone stamp),
Reuters "killed" the 'photograph' and released a statement that stated Hajj claimed to not have intentionally altered the photo but was trying to remove "dust marks". Reuters did not stand by the photographer and admitted that Hajj had altered it, saying "photo editing software was improperly used on this image. A corrected version will immediately follow this advisory. We are sorry for any inconvenience." Head of PR Moira Whittle said: "Reuters takes such matters extremely seriously as it is strictly against company editorial policy to alter pictures."
The second manipulated image was reported by the pseudonymous blogger "Dr. Rusty Shackleford" on his blog "the Jawa Report
". Reuters captioned it as showing an Israeli F-16 fighter jet firing ground-attack missiles "during an air strike on Nabatiyeh", but the F-16 was actually deploying one defensive flare
, and the original photograph showed only one flare. The photo had been doctored to increase the number of flares falling from the F-16 from one to three, and misidentified them as missiles.
On August 6, Reuters announced it would stop all cooperation with Adnan Hajj. Hajj claimed he had just been trying to remove dust marks, and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under. Critics point out that this is impossible, as Hajj's doctored image added an entire plume of smoke, duplicated several buildings, and showed a repeating pattern indicating that one plume of smoke was "cloned" several times.
On August 7, Reuters decided to withdraw all 920 photos by Hajj from sale. As of May 11, 2008, Reuters has removed all of Hajj's images from its site.
On January 18, 2007 Reuters reported that an internal investigation into the Adnan Hajj photomanipulation had led to a top Reuters photo editor being fired.
The charges against Hajj took place within a larger context of many allegations about misleading photographs coming out of the Israel-Lebanon conflict; see 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies
.
Photo manipulation
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
taken by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
freelance photographer based in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, who had worked for Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
over a period of more than ten years. Hajj's photographs were presented as part of Reuters' news coverage of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
, but Reuters has admitted that at least two were significantly altered before being published.
Timeline
The first image was discovered on August 5, 2006 when blogger Charles Johnson of Little Green FootballsLittle Green Footballs
Little Green Footballs is an American political blog run by web designer Charles Johnson.Media observers in the United States long described the site as "right wing", but since 2007, the site's emphasis has changed, such that "LGF has become better known for the various fights it picks with many...
wrote that the first image "shows blatant evidence of manipulation" (Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
clone stamp),
Reuters "killed" the 'photograph' and released a statement that stated Hajj claimed to not have intentionally altered the photo but was trying to remove "dust marks". Reuters did not stand by the photographer and admitted that Hajj had altered it, saying "photo editing software was improperly used on this image. A corrected version will immediately follow this advisory. We are sorry for any inconvenience." Head of PR Moira Whittle said: "Reuters takes such matters extremely seriously as it is strictly against company editorial policy to alter pictures."
The second manipulated image was reported by the pseudonymous blogger "Dr. Rusty Shackleford" on his blog "the Jawa Report
Jawa Report
The Jawa Report is a blog and forum about terrorism committed by Islamists.The Boston Globe describes it as a "popular" website "that monitors terrorism investigations." The New York Times reports that its volunteers "research Web sites they believe are tied to Al-Qaeda or other militant groups,...
". Reuters captioned it as showing an Israeli F-16 fighter jet firing ground-attack missiles "during an air strike on Nabatiyeh", but the F-16 was actually deploying one defensive flare
Flare (countermeasure)
A flare is an aerial infrared countermeasure to counter an infrared homing surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile. Flares are commonly composed of a pyrotechnic composition based on magnesium or another hot-burning metal, with burning temperature equal to or hotter than engine exhaust...
, and the original photograph showed only one flare. The photo had been doctored to increase the number of flares falling from the F-16 from one to three, and misidentified them as missiles.
On August 6, Reuters announced it would stop all cooperation with Adnan Hajj. Hajj claimed he had just been trying to remove dust marks, and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under. Critics point out that this is impossible, as Hajj's doctored image added an entire plume of smoke, duplicated several buildings, and showed a repeating pattern indicating that one plume of smoke was "cloned" several times.
On August 7, Reuters decided to withdraw all 920 photos by Hajj from sale. As of May 11, 2008, Reuters has removed all of Hajj's images from its site.
On January 18, 2007 Reuters reported that an internal investigation into the Adnan Hajj photomanipulation had led to a top Reuters photo editor being fired.
The charges against Hajj took place within a larger context of many allegations about misleading photographs coming out of the Israel-Lebanon conflict; see 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies
The 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies refers to instances of photojournalism from the 2006 Lebanon War that misrepresented scenes of death and destruction in Lebanon caused by Israeli air attacks. As a result of the scandal, Reuters fired freelance photographer Adnan Hajj, and the AP...
.
See also
- 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies
- Alleged Ouze Merham interview of Ariel Sharon
- Arab-Israeli conflict
- Battle of JeninBattle of JeninThe Battle of Jenin took place in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces entered the camp, and other areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, during the Second Intifada, as part of Operation Defensive Shield...
- Journalism scandalsJournalism scandalsJournalism scandals are high-profile incidents or acts, whether intentional or accidental, that run contrary to the generally accepted ethics and standards of journalism, or otherwise violate the 'ideal' mission of journalism: to report news events and issues accurately and fairly.-Journalistic...
- Media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict
- Muhammad al-Durrah controversy
- Ouze MerhamOuze MerhamIn the first decade of the 21st century, a paragraph alleged to come from a 1956 interview of Ariel Sharon, conducted by an Israeli Defence Force general named Ouze Merham, was quoted in a number of publications. The paragraph advocates burning Palestinian children and raping Palestinian women and...
- PallywoodPallywoodPallywood, a portmanteau of "Palestinian" and "Hollywood", is a coinage that has been used by some pro-Israeli media watchdog advocates, among others, to describe alleged "media manipulation, distortion and outright fraud by the Palestinians and other Arabs .....
- Photo manipulationPhoto manipulationPhoto manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
External links
- Photo Fraud in Lebanon on Aish.com
- The Reuters Photo Scandal
- "Digital Tampering in the Media, Politics and Law". Recent history of media photo manipulation. Hany FaridHany FaridHany Farid is the William H. Neukom 1964 Distinguished Professor of Computational Science at Dartmouth College, and chair of Dartmouth's Neukom Institute for Computational Science. Farid specializes in image analysis, human perception, and has been called the "father" of digital image forensics by...
, professor, Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. Last accessed August 7, 2006. - "Institutional Failure at Reuters" by Thomas Lifson for Yahoo! NewsYahoo! NewsYahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
, August 7, 2006 (alternate link). - "Reuters' Image Problem" by Brendan Bernhard in the LA WeeklyLA WeeklyLA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
online, August 9, 2006. - A Concise History of the Fauxtography Blogstorm in the 2006 Lebanon War by Stephen D. Cooper, Marshall CollegeMarshall CollegeMarshall College was the name of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, before it was granted university status in 1961.Marshall College can also refer to:* Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
in the American Communication Journal, Summer 2007