Photoshop and the Media

I chose to snip a picture of a British soldier in Basra from April of 2003. The war in Iraq had only begun a month prior and the media upset was phenomenal in regards to the US’s presence there, both from a political and an ethical standpoint. At the time there was a significant liberal bias from the media and a hard press for President George Bush to withdraw the troops. LA Times photographer, Brian Walski, was apparently fired for retouching this photo in what he described as an improvement to the composition. I’m not exactly sure what the photo originally displayed; however, in all likelyhood, it did not depict the military presence in such a negative light. The manipulation, prior to the discovery of Walski’s retouching, surely sent a negative message to the public regarding the British and US forces working within Iraq. This is a perfect example of the news’ ability to spread choice propaganda throughout the public.




This video is a perfect example of the news' ability to manipulate photographs and change the way that the public views those in the spotlight.  It enables the public to sway in whatever direction the news dictates.