Pristine Doll Among Cinders: Another Staged Reuters Photo?
I picked up this photo credited to Mario Anzuoni/Reuters while browsing Yahoo News:
I maintained the original photo name and some of the text that accompanied the photo.
Now, I wasn’t looking for faked photos, but when I saw this, something just struck me as odd. There among rubble charred into small pieces is a doll - something that evokes the innocence of childhood and better times - but look closely at the doll. It is pristine. The hair is not singed together, there is not a smudge on the face or clothing. There is no indication that it was ever in the proximity of smoke. The ribbon is brite red and the shoes snow white. If I were to take a guess, I would say that Mario grabbed this doll from a sobbing kid on his way to the photo shoot, gingerly placed it on the cinders, and sprinkled a few ashes over it for effect all the while dreaming of some journalistic award.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t feel like I can trust anything that comes from Reuters. It does not matter what the motivation is, it’s just not genuine. After seeing the devastation wrought so far by these disastrous fires, I find it hard to believe that any photo-journalist would need to fake a photo for its emotional value. Maybe they are just plain lazy.
Faked Reuters Photos: Not just for war anymore!
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13 Responses to “Pristine Doll Among Cinders: Another Staged Reuters Photo?”
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It does seem like that doll is a little too pristine. I would say that it could be categorically proven that the doll was not at that location when the fire occured. Look at the wood. It’s burned. It is obvious that someone placed the doll there afterwards. Was it the “reporter”? Maybe. But it remains a mystery as to what the “message” would be. Maybe the photographer is just stupid, possibly. Whatever it is, the message is lost in the obviousness, so my ultimate reation is, “who cares”, with a side order of “duh”.
Typical right-wing ranting BS - apropos of nothing, without a scintilla of evidence, make up a fact that conforms to your moronic worldview and post it on the Internets. As “proof” that Rueters is faking photos again, which they never did in the first place.
You probably believe that the Universe was created in a puff of Magic 5000 years ago. Tool.
Uh oh. One of the Brainwashed ones has come to ridicule the obvious. There’s plenty of evidence that Reuters indeed has faked photos, by the way. Why not read up on it?
http://zombietime.com/reuters_photo_fraud/
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3286966,00.html
But moreover, why not do a google search on “Reuters fake photos”.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enUS235US235&q=reuters+fake+photos
You’ll get 1,870,000 hits, which you should carefully read. It’s always a good idea to fact check before spewing, you know.
Mario is basically a paparazzi which makes it all the more suspect.
Planted photo prop.
Just like the planted Pali props they used before.
I wonder if Retroafric can explain how the doll got away unscathed while everything surrounding it is charred and burnt…
Or does Retroafric believe it was not planted for effect?
Wow. Well. I guess I just don’t like my moronic worldview being cluttered up with manufacted news. You might like to have your “news” posed, primped and postured for you, but in my opinion, it is insulting and self-serving. I would prefer my Internets to be full of truth, but I know neither one nor many Internets would not be the place to look for truth, or even truthers I suppose.
As for my belief in the universe, wow you must by psychic. But your antennae must be getting vibes from the wrong person. You mean to paint me as some small-minded Republican Religious-Right Rube or something. You need to get more broad-minded my dear fellow. I’m not some lock-stepping Move-on type, after all. I believe in God, but my God is big enough to be right in the Bible, and to have created the universe around 15 or so billion years ago, as we have been able to measure it so far.
All in all though, thanks for visiting AnAmericanFirst.com and for leaving a comment!
As a professional journalist for more than 20 years, I must say that I am completely disgusted with the utter lack of ethics displayed by the mainstream media. News reporters and photographers are supposed to report only what exists, not what they would like to be there or what would be in their interest to show. Anything else is a dishonest attempt to sway public opnion when journalism at its best is supposed to inform public opinion and then let the public decide for itself.
Editor
Well, I wish it were the case that this is a devation from the norm. But the fact is, if you look up the history of the New Jersey Gazette, you will find that George Washington himself started this. And he even regretted it in the end because the press subsequently turned on him.
Major reform of the concept of the Press is in order. That’s my opinion, for what it’s worth.
same thing as photo stringers in the middle east- find some burning rubble, then insert strategically placed koran
For those interested, photographer Marios friends are on the attack to defend their friend. See http://www.uber.com/mypage/?entity_id=243274033&blog_id=110
Our group, Art Science Research Laboratory http://www.asrlab.org is investigating the photo using scientific experts which I discuss in Reuters comment postings . See http://blogs.reuters.com/gbu/2007/10/29/fire-damage-photo/#comment-332267
We will publish our report in our media ethics blog http://www.stinkyjournalism.org
Any help is appreciated send your thoughts or ideas. Email rrs@asrlab.org
Anyway, thanks to An American First, for this post.
I am coming from the position of being an average American who noticed something that to me, looked odd, and I wrote about it. I am not out to smear someone’s name or reputation - I am sure this photographer has a whole body of work that collectively speaks for itself. I just have little tolerance for anything that purports itself to news or journalism. Was this photo faked? Maybe, maybe not. In any case the photo, in my opinion, highlighted a clear juxtaposition between blackened wood and a rather untouched doll.
Rhonda, if you find out something from the lab, I only hope it results in more trustworthy journalism.
Things are heating up on the Reuter blog (pun intended http://blogs.reuters.com/gbu/2007/10/31/more-on-fire-photos/
They have not responded yet to our request for hi rez images. They did, however, post some other Mario pics. Go see
Check out Part I of our report on the miracle fire doll controversy.
StinkyJournalism investigated the evidence that suggests that a Reuters photojournalist trespassed on private property to obtain photographs of a tragically destroyed home.
See http://www.stinkyjournalism.org
Also, please see our parody video on YouTube. “We Will Burn Doll: Reuters’ real or placed doll needs test”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eRJoxjvtmIM