From Seattle writer and consultant Matt Rosenberg...: Death by Photoshop

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Death by Photoshop

May 13, 2004

From Abu Ghraib, on flows the latest anti-U.S. feeding frenzy, replete with doctored photos in British and U.S. newspapers.

A British tabloid, The Daily Mirror, gets caught running bogus pics of Iraqi prisoner abuse. The Boston Globe runs a story it never should have, about a local politician and black activist who claimed they had photos showing rape of Iraqi women by U.S. military personnel.

The story itself, by reporter Donovan Slack, was appropriately skeptical about the authenticity of the pictures right from the get-go.

But in early editions of the Globe, there was a picture of City Councilor Chuck Turner and local black activist Sadiki Kambon displaying the photos, which were rendered large enough in the accompanying newspaper picture to clearly see the purported sex acts. In later editions, the picture was less blown up and the acts in the displayed photos much less clear.

Worldnetdaily.com, which claims to have uncovered the same doctored photos online last week, actually interviewed reporter Slack, who questioned whether The Globe should even have run the story (she was assigned to it, and had no choice). Today's WND story also notes:

Kambon, who is director of the Black Community Information Center, said at the news conference he received the photographs by e-mail from Akbar Muhammad, a representative for the Nation of Islam.
...In (a) letter given to The Globe, Muhammad termed reservists, "raving beasts," and added, "I was fortunate enough to make copies of the pictures before they became unavailable on the Internet."

...A source with The Globe said the controversy already had reached the president of the New York Times, who reportedly is furious. The Boston Globe is owned by the New York Times Co.