Reuters Says Freelancer Manipulated Lebanon Photos
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August 07, 2006
By Daryl Lang
Reuters has fired Lebanese freelance photographer Adnan Hajj after he transmitted at least two photographs from Lebanon that were doctored to make Israeli attacks seem more dramatic.
The news agency said Monday it is investigating Hajj's other work and has withdrawn all of Hajj's photos, about 920 images, from its archives as a precaution.
Hajj's career with Reuters unraveled Saturday after Reuters sent its subscribers one of Hajj's images of smoke rising from the Beirut skyline. The image, which appeared on several news web sites, had been doctored in Adobe Photoshop to show more smoke billowing higher into the sky.
The manipulation was so ham-handed that popular political blogs, beginning with Little Green Footballs, spotted it almost immediately. The bloggers used it to fuel long-running accusations that Reuters's news coverage is politically biased.
Critics quickly dug up other Hajj photos that appeared to be manipulated.
Reuters conceded Monday that an image by Hajj published Aug. 2, showing an Israeli jet dropping three flares (described in the caption as missiles), was also manipulated. Blogger Rusty Shackleford posted an analysis of the image that concluded that the image shows one flare that was cloned two more times.
Hajj was also among the Lebanon-based wire service photographers who conservative critics accused of covering a fake rescue in Qana last week. The accusations were not of digital manipulation, but rather of taking part in a dramatic rescue staged by Hezbollah actors for the benefit of journalists. Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France Presse all strongly denied that their photographers would participate in covering such a staged event.
Hajj's two doctored photos made it onto the Reuters wire during a time when the service relaxed its editing procedures to allow prompt filing of photos from the Middle East. According to Reuters, Hajj has filed 43 photos directly through the agency's global picture desk, rather than through an editor in Beirut as is standard procedure, since the Israel-Lebanon conflict began July 12.
Reuters said Monday it will now use a stricter editing procedure so no photo from the region will be sent to subscribers without the review of a top picture editor. Reuters spokesperson Moira Whittle declined to say if any disciplinary action was being considered against any editors.
In a statement released by Reuters, global picture editor Tom Szlukovenyi said the manipulation of photographs is unacceptable.
"There is no graver breach of Reuters standards for our photographers than the deliberate manipulation of an image," he said. "Reuters has zero tolerance for any doctoring of pictures and constantly reminds its photographers, both staff and freelance, of this strict and unalterable policy."
Hajj had been a Reuters freelancer for over a decade, contributing photos to the agency from 1993 to 2003 and from April 2005 until now. Much of his work has been sports coverage, the agency says.
Reuters said Hajj was not responding to calls Monday, but told the agency Sunday that he altered the image of the smoke over Beirut to remove dust marks.
This is the second time in recent weeks a news photographer has been fired for manipulating photos.
Less than two weeks ago, Charlotte Observer photographer Patrick Schneider lost his job after he enhanced the color in a photo of a firefighter silhouetted against the morning sun. Schneider had been reprimanded for similar behavior before. (Related PDN story.)
Schneider's case concerned adjusting the colors, not of fabricating entire portions of an image as Hajj apparently did. Hajj's case is closer to that of Los Angeles Times photographer Brian Walski, who was fired in 2003 for digitally combining two images from the war in Iraq. (Related PDN story.)
Conservative bloggers have made a habit of combing through Reuters news coverage in search of bias against the U.S. administration, an ally of Israel.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/184206.php
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CNN's Robertson Now Admits: Hezbollah 'Had Control' of His Anti-Israel Piece
Posted by Rich Noyes on July 24, 2006 - 15:32.
Better late than never? On CNNÂ’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, CNNÂ’s senior international correspondent Nic Robertson added all of the caveats and disclaimers that he should have included in his story last week that amounted to his giving an uncritical forum for the terrorist group Hezbollah to spout unverifiable anti-Israeli propaganda.
Back on July 18, Hezbollah took Robertson and his crew on a tour of a heavily damaged south Beirut neighborhood. The Hezbollah “press officer” even instructed the CNN camera: “Just look. Shoot. Look at this building. Is it a military base? Is it a military base, or just civilians living in this building?”
In his original story, Robertson had no complaints about the journalistic limitations of a story put together under such tight controls, and Robertson himself at one point seemed to agree with the Hezbollah propaganda claim that Israeli jets had targeted a civilian area: “As we run past the rubble, we see much that points to civilian life, no evidence apparent of military equipment.”
Challenged by Reliable Sources host (and Washington Post media writer) Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Robertson suggested Hezbollah has “very, very sophisticated and slick media operations,” that the terrorist group “had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath,” and he even contradicted Hezbollah’s self-serving spin: “There's no doubt that the [Israeli] bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities.”
But the closest Robertson came to making any of these points in the taped package that aired last week was admitting that “we [he and his CNN crew] didn’t go burrowing into all the houses,” after pointing out (for the second time) that “we didn’t see any military type of equipment” in the area Hezbollah chose to let them tour.
Five days later, Robertson argued that “journalistic integrity” required skepticism: “When you hear their [Hezbollah’s] claims, they have to come with more than a grain of salt, that you have to put in some journalistic integrity. That you have to point out to the audience and let them know that this was a guided tour by Hezbollah press officials along with their security, that it was a very rushed affair.”
While some viewers undoubtedly deduced out that it was “a guided tour” from the numerous sound bites from the Hezbollah press officer, it’s not as if Robertson ever complained about his limitations or explicitly warned viewers that there was no way he could confirm any of the claims.
Nic Robertson, of course, isn’t the only correspondent going on these Hezbollah-arranged tours, as CNN’s Reliable Sources noted yesterday. In a set-up to his interview with Robertson, Kurtz played clips of NBC’s Richard Engel and CBS’s Elizabeth Palmer relating their trips into the damaged areas, with Palmer providing the sort of disclaimer that Robertson failed to include last week: “This morning, Hezbollah showed journalists around the ruins of its former stronghold, but Hezbollah is also determined that outsiders will only see what it wants them to see.”
Now, more of RobertsonÂ’s live interview (10:15am EDT) on the July 23 Reliable Sources (transcript corrected against the actual broadcast):
Howard Kurtz: “I want to go now to CNN's Nic Robertson, who joins us live from Beirut. Nic Robertson, we were speaking a moment ago about the way journalists cover Hezbollah and some of these tours that Hezbollah officials have arranged of the bomb damage in the areas of Southern Lebanon. You, I believe, got one of those tours. Isn't it difficult for you as a journalist to independently verify any claims made by Hezbollah, because you're not able to go into the buildings and see whether or not there is any military activity or any weapons being hidden there?”
Nic Robertson: “Well, Howard, there’s no doubt about it: Hezbollah has a very, very sophisticated and slick media operations. In fact, beyond that, it has very, very good control over its areas in the south of Beirut. They deny journalists access into those areas. They can turn on and off access to hospitals in those areas. They have a lot of power and influence. You don't get in there without their permission. And when I went in, we were given about 10 or 15 minutes, quite literally running through a number of neighborhoods that they directed and they took us to."
"What I would say at that time was, it was very clear to me that the Hezbollah press official who took us on that guided tour — and there were Hezbollah security officials around us at the time with walkie-talkie radios — that he felt a great deal of anxiety about the situation....But there’s no doubt about it. They had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn’t have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath.”
“So what we did see today in a similar excursion, and Hezbollah is now running a number of these every day, taking journalists into this area. They realize that this is a good way for them to get their message out, taking journalists on a regular basis. This particular press officer came across his press office today, what was left of it in the rubble. He pointed out business cards that he said were from his office that was a Hezbollah press office in that area.”
“So there's no doubt that the bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities. But from what we can see, there appear to be a lot of civilian damage, a lot of civilian properties. But again, as you say, we didn't have enough time to go in, root through those houses, see if perhaps there was somebody there who was, you know, a taxi driver by day, and a Hezbollah fighter by night....”
Kurtz: “To what extent do you feel like you're being used to put up the pictures that they want — obviously, it’s terrible that so many civilians have been killed — without any ability, as you just outlined, to verify, because — to verify Hezbollah’s role, because this is a fighting force that is known to blend in among the civilian population and keep some of its weapons there?”
Robertson: “Absolutely. And I think as we try and do our job, which is go out and see what's happened to the best of our ability, clearly, in that environment, in the southern suburbs of Beirut that Hezbollah controls, the only way we can get into those areas is with a Hezbollah escort. And absolutely, when you hear their claims they have to come with more than a grain of salt, that you have to put in some journalistic integrity. That you have to point out to the audience and let them know that this was a guided tour by Hezbollah press officials along with their security, that it was a very rushed affair, that there wasn't time to go and look through those buildings.”
“The audience has to know the conditions of that tour. But again, if we didn't get all — or we could not get access to those areas without Hezbollah compliance, they control those areas.”
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reporters nowadays.... Cannot be trusted. Even with the news they report.
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the infamous hizbolla action movie picture.
starring
mr white
and mr green
in the "massacre" of qana -
Pardon for being a wet blanket... but I'm not sure whether I see the relevance of this to Military Nuts.
Unless you're talking about Hizbollah's guerilla tactics or the IDF's counterstrike methods, that is. -
if you think that the corpse they are carrying are killed in a recent isreali air raid. i am afraid you could be dead wrong. (no pun intended)Originally posted by tripwire:the infamous hizbolla action movie picture.
starring
mr white
and mr green
in the "massacre" of qana -
military psyops... ever heard of disinformation and misinformation cum asymmetrical warfare?Originally posted by fudgester:Pardon for being a wet blanket... but I'm not sure whether I see the relevance of this to Military Nuts.
Unless you're talking about Hizbollah's guerilla tactics or the IDF's counterstrike methods, that is.
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don't you know?
when you make the news such that you discredit the enemy, the psychological war is won...
like that, no matter what kind of military hardware you have, the whole world is against you...
that is the reason for Pallywood, the reason why Hezbollah hung around UN positions, firing from there.. firing from places crowded with civilians... in order to make the Israelis fire at those positions..
killed UN observers, killed civilians, make great weapons in psychological warfare... -
anyone here dare say.. that they did not believe the QANA massacre when they first heard it over the news when dozens are reportedly killed?
i believe many of us was taken for a ride.. me included.. though i believe that the "massacre" while unfortunate, was part and parcel of war. -
Yes, I'm fully aware of such things, and I personally find Operation Mincemeat during WWII to be a highly interesting read.Originally posted by tripwire:military psyops... ever heard of disinformation and misinformation cum asymmetrical warfare?
But let's make sure the discussion sticks to psychological warfare and counterintelligence tactics in the current conflict and not degrade into yet another run-of-the-mill political debate which have been detailed in many other threads. -
remember this fella?
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i think it was a failure of the UN to report that the Hezbollah were hanging around their post, and using it...
the canadian UN fella was talking about them being in the post but no one seemed to think that it was something to report.. or was it that Hezbollah was doing it so much that they have become desensitised to such things?
if so, Hezbollah has succeeded in something amazing.. that observers have become so desensitised to their misdeeds and crimes that no one cares anymore... -
i think SAF should learn from hizbowood and palliwood, it could come in handy... assuming we got a professional team of skill experts.Originally posted by fudgester:Yes, I'm fully aware of such things, and I personally find Operation Mincemeat during WWII to be a highly interesting read.
But let's make sure the discussion sticks to psychological warfare and counterintelligence tactics in the current conflict and not degrade into yet another run-of-the-mill political debate which have been detailed in many other threads. either to create or debunk such guided information. 
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adnan was a hizbo sympathizer... obviously out of respect for the rich arabs. his own son was implicated in the IRAQ oil for food program fiasco ... need i say more?Originally posted by the Bear:i think it was a failure of the UN to report that the Hezbollah were hanging around their post, and using it...
the canadian UN fella was talking about them being in the post but no one seemed to think that it was something to report.. or was it that Hezbollah was doing it so much that they have become desensitised to such things?
if so, Hezbollah has succeeded in something amazing.. that observers have become so desensitised to their misdeeds and crimes that no one cares anymore... -
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not just TV and radio.. now even the internet is a battlefield.
hizbollahs have learnt that, not only can you hijack plane, ships and ambulances... but you can hijack the internet as well..
How Hizballah Hijacks the Internet
The group pops up on unwitting Web sites around the world in order to communicate, recruit and fundraise
By HILARY HYLTON/AUSTIN
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 08, 2006
What do a small south Texas cable company, a suburban Virginia cable provider and Web-hosting servers in Delhi, Montreal, Brooklyn and New Jersey have in common? Since fighting broke out in Lebanon, they all have had their communications portals hijacked by Hizballah. Hackers from the militant Lebanese group are trolling the Internet for vulnerable sites to communicate with one another and to broadcast messages from Al-Manar television, which is banned in the U.S. In the cyberterrorism trade it is known as "whack-a-mole" — just like the old carnival game, Hizballah sites pop up, get whacked down and then pop up again somewhere else on the World Wide Web.
"As the Israelis tighten the noose on Hizballah in Lebanon, these communication nodes become critical," said Fred Burton, a former U.S. counterterrorism official and now vice president of Stratfor, a security consulting and forecasting company in Austin, Tex. In today's asymmetrical warfare, the Internet is vital to groups like Hizballah who use it to recruit, raise money, communicate and propagandize, Burton said, including transmissions from Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
The recent hijacking of a South Texas cable operator is a case study in how Hizballah moves in. The Texas cable company has an agreement with a New York-based satellite communications aggregator, which moves feeds to a variety of customers from throughout the world, including Lebanon. A technician in New York made an "improper connection," according to an official with the cable company's communications provider who detailed the hijack for TIME. That opening was detected by Hizballah.
Al-Manar, widely considered a mouthpiece for Hizballah and categorized as a terrorist group by the U.S., linked to the small cable company's IP (Internet Protocol) address, which can be thought of, in simple terms, as a telephone number. Hizballah essentially added an extension on that telephone line allowing their traffic to flow. Hizballah then gets the word out through e-mail and blogs that it can be found at that IP address and the hijack is complete. If the hijack is not detected, the IP address can be linked to a new domain name and that opens up the site to anyone who might search online for Al-Manar content. Hizballah uses these Web sites to run recruitment videos and post bank account numbers where supporters can donate funds.
Hijackings are normally quickly discovered by the Society for Internet Research, an informal consortium of self-described "freelance counterterrorists" who sit in home offices and dens tracking jihadist activity on the Internet. In turn, they alert the media or simply call the hijacked company. Alerted to the south Texas hijack, the cable company's communications provider reported the incident to U.S. authorities and the IP address was shut down.
Perhaps, the most famous player of the "whack-a-mole" game is Aaron Weisburd, 42, a computer programmer who operates one of the Society's projects from his home office in southern Illinois. His Web site, Internet Haganah — the name is an homage to Israeli paramilitary fighters — tracks Hizballah and other groups as they wander the Web. Weisburd's hijack logs go back for several years and include the latest Hizballah hijacks since fighting began. "Notice to the jihadis in the audience," he writes on his site. "You can't hide."
Burton said shutting the sites down is a "double-edged sword." As a former U.S. counterterrorism official, he sees the value of keeping the sites up so intelligence services can collect "forensic" evidence. "It's important to see what they are saying," he says, noting that Hizballah has resource bases in Indonesia and the tri-border area (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay) of South America. Given Hizballah's links to Iran, which offers its operatives diplomatic cover around the world, according to Burton, monitoring Hizballah's Internet presence is vital as part of the "cat and mouse" game with Western intelligence. But shutting them down also limits their fundraising, recruiting and propaganda efforts, Burton said.
In March, the whack-a-mole players gained a new weapon in their fight when the U.S. Treasury announced that any U.S. company found to be doing business with Al-Manar will be subject to sanctions and possible prosecution. The new rules mean that freelance counterterrorists can remind slow-moving, reluctant or even compliant Web hosters that they face financial sanctions if they do not act to shut down Al-Manar. The south Texas cable company's communications provider was quick to alert U.S. authorities and the portal closed, but Hizballah was just as quick to play the whack-a-mole game and a new site sprang up from an Indian Web-hosting company within hours. Said Burton: "As long as the war drags on, these communication portals will be critical as Hizballah tries to get its global message out across the world." -
Originally posted by tripwire:
"I don't have to repeat myself, there are no Israelis in South Lebanon."
[b]remember this fella?
"The Israelis were committing suicide by the hundreds at the city's gates."
"Israelis are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender"
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Comical Ali is exactly what his nickname implies - a big, big joke.