The agency reported that software was used to make the damage
inflicted by an Israeli air strike on Beirut look worse than it was
in an image that appeared on news websites on Saturday.
Reuters said the photograph was taken and doctored by freelancer
Adnan Hajj using Adobe Photoshop software. The practice is
sometimes known as 'Photoshopping'.
The picture's accuracy was first questioned in a posting to a
blog called Little Green Footballs. A Reuters photographer in
Canada read the posting and alerted his editors. Reuters quickly
terminated its relationship with Hajj and began investigating all
his work. A second doctored image was found: a photo of an Israeli
F-16 warplane in action over Lebanon that ran on 2nd August,
amended to increase the number of flares dropped by the plane.
On Monday, Reuters posted a statement in its online picture
archive saying that, as a precautionary measure, it has withdrawn
all photos taken by Hajj. It added: "Reuters has tightened its
editing procedure for photographs of the conflict and regrets any
inconvenience caused."
"There is no graver breach of Reuters standards for our
photographers than the deliberate manipulation of an image," said
Global Picture Editor Tom Szlukovenyi. "Reuters has zero tolerance
for any doctoring of pictures and constantly reminds its
photographers, both staff and freelance, of this strict and
unalterable policy."
In 2003, the LA Times sacked a photographer in similar
circumstances. Brian Walski was accused of digitally altering an
image of a British soldier directing Iraqi civilians to take cover
from Iraqi fire on the outskirts of Basra to make it look more
dramatic.
The LA Times and Reuters' strict policies against doctoring are
reflected in the UK Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice:
"The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or
distorted information, including pictures," it says.
It adds: "A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or
distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due
prominence, and – where appropriate – an apology published."
