PICTURE KILL

There's yet another "picture kill" by Reuters.

The outlet admits that the second problematic Adnan Hajj photo is indeed a fake.

From YnetNews:

Reuters has withdrawn a second photograph and admitted that the image was doctored, following the emergence of new suspicions against images provided by the news organization.

...Following the accusations, Reuters conceded that a second image it provided had been manipulated, and released a statement saying it had recalled all photos by Hajj. "Reuters has withdrawn from its database all photographs taken by Beirut-based freelance Adnan Hajj after establishing that he had altered two images since the start of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hizbullah group," the statement said.

The news outlet said that it discovered "in the last 24 hours that he (Hajj) altered two photographs since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hizbullah," Reuters added.

“There is no graver breach of Reuters standards for our photographers than the deliberate manipulation of an image", Reuters' statement quoted Tom Szlukovenyi, Reuters Global Picture Editor, as saying.

Reuters also said it would apply "tighter editing procedure for images of the Middle East conflict to ensure that no photograph from the region would be transmitted to subscribers without review by the most senior editor on the Reuters Global Pictures Desk."

"Reuters terminated its relationship with Hajj on Sunday... An immediate enquiry began into Hajj’s other work," the statement said.

Hajj had provided Reuters with several images from the Lebanese village of Qana, many of which have also been suspected of being staged.

Other Reuters images have been called into question by blogs in the United States.

Robert Opalecky, on Power Line, points out these two photos.


Hajj photo, July 24



Hajj photo, with the caption that a woman walks by "a building flattened during an overnight Israeli air raid on Beirut's suburbs August 5, 2006."


It's no shock that a sleazy freelance photographer would doctor photos to advance an agenda.

It is disturbing that Reuters was so eager to use the doctored work.

I don't think it's enough to fire Hajj. Others at Reuters need to get the axe as well.

Furthermore, it's not enough for Reuters to deal internally with "Doctor" Hajj and the death threat author.

Reuters clients should end their relationships with the news service.

That would be an appropriate response and would probably cause other services to be more cautious about the quality of their product and the integrity of their employees.

Hajj needs to relax. He should get out of the war zone and take some scenic photos. He should kick back at a quiet spot, maybe a nice peaceful lake, and snap away.

True, Hajj wouldn't be helping to turn world opinion against Israel, but I'm sure he could make good money shooting nature scenes.