Kerry Photo Altered, Used for Political Attack (FR, Registered Mentioned)

Berkeley Daily Planet ^ | February 17, 2004 | Richard Brenneman

[Timesink]

A UC Berkeley journalism lecturer's 32-year-old photograph of future Democratic U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Kerry has wound up in a forgery that suckered the New York Times.

Ken Light, head of the photojournalism program at UCB's Graduate School of Journalism, has found himself in the eye of a media and Internet storm after a clever forger inserted an image of Jane Fonda alongside his image of Kerry and posted the composite on the Internet.

[Hon]

Of course what you posted isn't true. The proof is that the real Kerry Fonda photograph and its concomitant photo was picked up--even by the NY Times. And that story orginated here.

John Kerry At Valley Forge (With Jane Fonda)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1074369/posts

Are you arguing that FR doesn't have to worry about being credible? That it is just a chat site? Maybe you're right. But others here seem to have higher hopes for it.

Maybe it is a waste of time to post things like the story above or the material about how Turnipseed was misreported, which helped to turn around that story. But even those two stories--and others like them--have shown that things posted here can have an impact, even on the leftwing media.

Again, this hoax just set the effort back. But I can see how that wouldn't concern you.

[michigander]

None. But that is an irrelevant question, really.

No it's not. There's a very good reason you haven't used an email to source your work. Hopefully you wouldn't use an email to source your work.

It's painfully simple.

Yes it is. No one, who isn't an absolute chucklehead, would use an unsourced email for the basis of a news story and expect to be taken seriously.

[Hon]

"While I question the judgement and the timing of Registered's hoax and its negative effects on the authentic photo and the story behind it, I am not saying that such hoaxes do not have their place. However, FR should not be exploited to release or to spread them."

I don't think you or I or anyone would have complained if the mock up had indicated in some subtle fashion it as a hoax--which is the convention and what Registered usually does.

As you know, Registered even denied that it was a hoax, or he refused to say one way or the other, when he first posted it.

It's a tiresome subject. But it is hard to fathom what people are thinking when they cheer this as something good for anybody involved--except the left.

[Atlantian]

Remember the Times' cover of Newt. A green tint and other colors were added to Newt's face to make Newt look sinister.

[68 grunt]

You outta lighten up, buttercup.

[Revolting cat!]

Here's Ken Light's e-mail address at UC Berkeley.
I do wonder what he thinks of the Berkeley Planet altering Registered's work: kenlight@uclink4.berkeley.edu

[Revolting cat!]

However, FR should not be exploited to release or to spread them.

You are probably right. However, it is for JimRob to decide.

Other than that, the best hoaxes are those that fool everybody, and I think this might have been one of those. I saw the original post and Registered's name under it gave me some doubts, but not enough, I guess. People who get taken, by hoaxes or other underhanded schemes, tend to come out real pissed off when they learn they've been made fools! Is this what we are seeing here?

[Spiff]

Yes it is. No one, who isn't an absolute chucklehead, would use an unsourced email for the basis of a news story and expect to be taken seriously.

So, the story we're trying to push is that journalists are idiots because they publish some unsourced rumors without checking them out first? I thought the story we were pushing was that the Democrat frontrunner, John Kerry, had association with subversives and traitors such as Jane Fonda. I guess I didn't get the memo.

Now, I we're going to push the journalists are idiots because they published some unsourced rumors without checking them out, shouldn't we also be making a great deal of noise about just which unsourced rumors they will published (the unsourced, fake Kerry photo obtained from the Internet and/or email) but not other unsourced rumors (Kerry boinked his intern)?

[Spiff]

Now, I we're going to push the journalists are idiots because they published some unsourced rumors without checking them out, shouldn't we also be making a great deal of noise about just which unsourced rumors they will published (the unsourced, fake Kerry photo obtained from the Internet and/or email) but not other unsourced rumors (Kerry boinked his intern)?

Try that again... Now, if we're going to push the journalists are idiots because they publishe some unsourced rumors without checking them out story, shouldn't we also be making a great deal of noise about just which unsourced rumors they will publishe (the unsourced, fake Kerry photo obtained from the Internet and/or email) but not other unsourced rumors (Kerry boinked his intern)?

[Spiff]

Try that again... Now, if we're going to push the journalists are idiots because they publishe some unsourced rumors without checking them out story, shouldn't we also be making a great deal of noise about just which unsourced rumors they will publishe (the unsourced, fake Kerry photo obtained from the Internet and/or email) but not other unsourced rumors (Kerry boinked his intern)?

Sheesh! Again...do I need new glasses!?

Try that again... Now, if we're going to push the journalists are idiots because they publish some unsourced rumors without checking them out story, shouldn't we also be making a great deal of noise about just which unsourced rumors they will publish (the unsourced, fake Kerry photo obtained from the Internet and/or email) but not other unsourced rumors (Kerry boinked his intern)?

[mrsmith]

"The NY Times probably followed the hoax photo link back to here. " saw that it was a spoof but pretended in the article that they hadn't "And thereby the site is discredited. "

Nothing we do will change the yellow journalism of the Times. They'll always mainpulate their reporting.

Granted though, Registered shouldn't have had "AP" on the photo. Spoofs don't have to be identified IMO but they shouldn't go too far to be 'authentic" and that was going too far.

[Scenic Sounds]

I think I understand what you're saying.

I am one who thought it was a mistake for conservatives to associate themselves with the Kerry intern "story" before the rumor's critical foundation (support of the "story" by the young woman) was in place. That "story" was intended to accurately depict reality and would have no aesthetic value if it was not true.

However, I see this photo thing much differently. The photo here is art. It was never intended to accurately depict reality, except in an artistic nonliteral sense. What the world does with the artist's art is not the fault of the artist; in fact, it becomes part of the art itself. ;-)

[Theo]

See #106 -- someone questioned its authenticity earlier than #233. ;-)

[unsycophant]

One excuse is as good as another, isn't it? The left doesn't consider FR credible and never has. It doesn't turn to this site for confirmation of anything unless it's going to be used to attack us. Whatever good work is done on FR by FReeps is rarely attributed to anyone here, unless it comes from Rush.

The photo of Kerry with Fonda made us look like we were grasping at ANY straw to link the two together simply because it would be enough to discredit Kerry. It was *also* used to attack and insult the right. It ended up having the same effect that Registered's fake photo had.

Free Republic is as good as its participants are willing to make it.

Good luck!

[Brian Allen]

<< a .... photographer ... captured a stoned-looking Kerry .... [The] Vietnam War protester .... wearing [A traitor's] anguished expression ..... >>

And even then already looking like the mouth breathin' moron we now all know him to be.

[Salvation]

Bump to that.

I thought 233 had the photos that were blended. Turns out they were in the 250s.

[michigander]

I guess I didn't get the memo.

There was no memo to get (at least as far as I'm concerned).

I thought the story we were pushing ...

There is no we either, Kemosabe. 8^)

[Spiff]

There is no we either, Kemosabe. 8^)

So, you've never heard of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (VRWC) then...

[michigander]

Never received my membership card.

[John O]

I was very familiar with Free Republic long before Registered showed up.

So who did you used to be?