Posted on 09/15/2005 7:38:50 PM PDT by Mount Athos
The enhancement of a Reuters news photograph showing President Bush jotting a note about needing a bathroom break represented the organization's standard policy, according to one of its picture editors. But an executive with Reuters told Cybercast News Service Thursday afternoon that anyone doctoring a picture for publication would be immediately fired.
The photo was taken of the president Wednesday as he sat in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. According to an article published by the PDN Newswire Thursday, the picture was snapped by Reuters contract photographer Rick Wilking and shows Bush scribbling a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reading, "I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?"
PDN Newswire spoke with one of Reuters' picture editors - Gary Hershorn, who explained that sections of the photo were overexposed so a Reuters processor used the Photoshop technique to "burn down the note." Hershorn told PDN Newswire that the photo was not manipulated in any way, but that it was standard practice for such news photos to be enhanced.
That explanation would appear to create problems with the policy enforced by Jim Bourg, the Washington editor in charge of news pictures. He was asked by Cybercast News Service Thursday afternoon about Internet blog speculation that the Reuters photo might have been doctored in the computer program Photoshop.
"No, absolutely not," Bourg said. "We have corporate rules against that and anybody who did that would be, would be fired immediately ..."
Reuters maintains "very, very strong policies and rules against any doctoring of our photos," Bourg said, "and all of the people involved with the photographer who shot the picture and the editors who, who chose it and actually transmitted it are very, very long-term employees of Reuters who we trust implicitly and we have absolutely no doubt at all about the authenticity of the photo."
A telephone call to the White House, seeking comment about Reuters' decision to publish the enhanced photo of the president writing the note, was not returned before this article was published.
The incident has reminded some people of the CBS "60 Minutes" story in September of 2004 that alleged President Bush shirked his duty while with the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s. However, the documents used in the "60 Minutes" story and published on the CBS News website, turned out to be fraudulent. The fallout from the episode resulted in the forced resignations of several CBS News staffers and the hastened departure of CBS News anchorman Dan Rather, who had also anchored the "60 Minutes" story.
Gotta love the unbiased free press in this country. Always johnny on the spot with the most important news of the day.
Only if the truth about this note gets out!
Translation: The MSM continues to p|55 on me and I need a break. Can you do something with them?
I said on another thread about this topic...the only problem with the note would be if it were fake. The fact that Pres. Bush pees shouldn't surprise anyone...in the whole world...ever. It was a juvenile picture for a news organization to print IMO.
Not nearly as embarrassing as if he'd just sat there and peed his pants...
The press is so pathetic.
It's a little like Keith Olbermans endless attacks on Bill O'Reilly over important issues such as what postion Bill played on his highschool football team.
I also don't get it. Why would anyone care? I mean... think about it... if it were years ago and it was clinton writing such a note... aside from a little "caption" contest even WE wouldn't have thought much of it.
Hey! I need to go to the bathroom right now! It's Bush's fault! (Sarcasm)
Yeah, what really is embarrasing is these retards who have to take pictures of things like this and not real news. (IF the picture's even real)
Given how bloodthirsty the MSM was for Rove's firing in the Plame situation, you would think Reuters would use the same standard on themselves, eh?
Guess not.
Clinton version: "Hey Conny, I think I may need a little quickie in the Oval Office. Is this possible?"
Isn't Reuters the same organization that took a close up photo of Judge Roberts' eyes and released it the other day?
Didn't you know - Presidents are supposed to be above having to go to the restroom.
Yep, most people havin' that conversation would be in a bar or some such, but these people actually get paid for that cr*p.
Did they not know that he has to go to the bathroom just like everyone else?
You nailed it!
IF it's true that the photo was merely enhanced (brightness, contrast, etc.) to bring out the actual writing on the note, it's not at all what could be considered a forgery (a la Rathergate).
But, I will not be convinced it's the truth until... Well, at this point, I don't know what these Reuters smurfs could do to convince me they're capable of telling the truth.
At best, they're a bunch of second graders.
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