Posted on 08/07/2006 11:11:05 AM PDT by restornu
To discuss issues related to the UK's position in Europe and the world
Until recent years, images of civilian casualties in wars often took days to appear in newspapers, but now they can be captured and transmitted around the world to newspaper Web sites, where they are posted immediately, adding to the shock value that sketchy words by reporters often cannot capture. This happened again Sunday morning in the case of the Israeli air strike on the Lebanese village of Qana that left dozens dead, reportedly at least half of them children sleeping in their beds overnight.But the photographers, it seems, are not too fussy about how they go about "adding to the shock value". These two sequences illustrate the extent to which photographers on the scene are prepared to ensure that the "shock value" is maximised.
The photos, taken by The Associated Press, Reuters, and others, showed bodies in the rubble, or being taken away; survivors digging or wailing
Rescuers pull the body of a toddler victim of an Israeli air raid on Qana that killed more than 60 people, the majority of them women and children, in south Lebanon, July 30, 2006.Note the "rescue worker" in the foreground, complete with olive green military-style helmet and fluorescent jacket, with what appears to be a flack jacket underneath. His glasses, "designer stubble", blue tee-shirt and jeans make him quite a distinctive figure. Note also, he has a radio in his jacker pocket and he has bare hands, things which becomes relevant later.
Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense workers carry the body of a small child covered in dust from the rubble of his home that was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the village of Qana, east of the port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Sunday. Lebanese Red Cross officials said 56 people died in the Israeli assault on the village, including 34 children. Rescuers dug through the debris to remove dozens of bodies.This is horrific, but a scrutiny of the framing does suggest that the subject is offering the victim to the photographer.
A rescuer carries the body of a toddler victim of an Israeli air raid on Qana that killed more than 60 people, the majority of them women and children, in south Lebanon, July 30, 2006.Interestingly, in this sequence, the pocket radio is missing. And, although the positioning of the child looks the same, the angle of the shot looks to be about ninety degrees from the first, but in each case, the "worker" is facing towards the camera. The shots are clearly posed.
Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense workers carry the body of a small child covered in dust from the rubble of his home that was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the village of Qana, east of the port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Sunday, July 30, 2006. Lebanese Red Cross officials said 56 people died in the Israeli assault on the village, including 34 children. Rescuers dug through the debris to remove dozens of bodies.At 12.53 pm, after an interval of eight minutes, Frayer photographs the child's body again, from a different angle. The caption is the same. This time, though, our helmeted worker is showing some distress, which was absent in the previous photograph.
Among others, the body of a child recovered under the rubble of a demolished building that was struck by Israeli war plane missiles at the village of Qana near the southern Lebanon city of Tyre, is placed in an ambulance Sunday July 30.In the next frame, we have the same girl, this time apparently being placed in the ambulance. Also taken by AP,this time by Mohammed Zaatari the caption here reads:
A Lebanese rescuer carries the body of a young girl recovered from under the rubble of a demolished building that was struck by Israeli warplane missiles at the village of Qana, near the southern city of Tyre, Lebanon, Sunday, July 30, 2006. Dozens of civilians, including many children, were killed Sunday in an Israeli airstrike that flattened houses in this southern Lebanon village - the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting.Intriguingly, though, the dateline given is 10.25 am, three hours after she has already been photographed in the ambulance.
A civil defense worker carries the body of Lebanese child recovered from the rubble of a demolished building that was struck by an Israeli airstrike at the village of Qana near the southern Lebanon city of Tyre, Sunday, July 30, 2006. Israeli missiles struck this southern Lebanese village early Sunday, flattening houses on top of sleeping residents. The Lebanese Red Cross said the airstrike, in which at least 34 children were killed, pushed the overall Lebanese death toll to more than 500.Here we are now, same "worker" and same girl, but this time it is done for the benefit of EPA, the photographer, Mohamed Messara, the worker rushing towards a uniformed Red Cross worker. This caption (without a time) reads:
A rescue worker carries the body of a Lebanese girl after an Israeli air strike on the village of Qana, east of the southern port city of Tyre, on Sunday 30 July 2006. At least 51 people were killed, many of them children, and several others wounded in the raid Sunday, witnesses and rescue workers said.But now, for the benefit of AFP, the photgraph taken by Nicolas Asfouri, we have the same unfortunate child being handled by another worker, the original worker showing in the background, having passed the casualty on. The timing of the photograph is 7.16 pm (now apparently corrected to 6:46 am) and the caption reads:
A rescue worker puts the body of a dead girl on a gurney after Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese village of Qana. Israel agreed to temporarily halt air strikes in south Lebanon a day after 52 people were killed, many of them sleeping children, when Israeli warplanes bombarded the Lebanese village of Qana, triggering global outrage and warnings of retribution for alleged "war crimes".Remember, however, earlier in the sequence, the girl is being carried to the ambulance, by the other worker, sans jacket, helmet and gloves.
A civil defence worker carries a body of a young Lebanese child recovered from the rubble of a demolished building that was struck by Israeli war plane missiles at the village of Qana near the southern Lebanon city of Tyre, Sunday, July 30, 2006.Whatever else, the event in Qana was a human tragedy. But the photographs do not show it honestly. Rather, they have been staged for effect, exploiting the victims in an unwholesome manner. In so doing, they are no longer news photographs - they are propaganda. And, whoever said the camera cannot lie forgot that photographers can and do. Those lies have spread throughout the world by now and will be in this morning's newspapers, accepted as real by the millions who view them.
bttt
Notice how clean that dead young girls cloths are in the ambulance photos...they claim she was pulled from the rubble...why no dust on her pink top....or pants.
Looks like they all published on 7/31
IsraelInsider: Hezbollywood? Evidence mounts that Qana collapse and deaths were staged
By Reuven Koret July 31, 2006
Sweetness & Light: Was The Qana Massacre Staged By Hezbollah? credits Israel Insider for the story.
EU Referendum: Milking it? July 31, 2006
EU Referendum's analysis in that post were of the photos including the time stamps. As best as I can tell, it was this post that got the MSM to respond and was was mentioned by Rush and linked to by his website.
A) Israel is a few hours ahead of GB.
B) It was the first site to suggest the photos were staged.
C) EU Referendum was wrong to think the timp stamps had any real meaning.
But I just thought you should give them some credit. It's no skin off my hinder.
I agree. I've updated it.
To all: Please ping me or freepmail me with anything that should be added
Update follows:
The Hajj trail
As best I can tell, it started with the folks at EU Referendum and israelinsider questioning the Qana photos (this was picked up by Rush and others last week) Here are the most relevant posts at israelinsider and EU Referendum. "Qana the directors cut" and The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" sort of sum it all up IMHO (see below)
Milking it
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115429339722244068
Hezbollywood? Evidence mounts that Qana collapse and deaths were staged
http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/8997.htm
Who is this Man?
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115435464393966674
The Green Helmet mystery Continues
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115439598900887049
We Need to know the truth
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115444005168305521
Game, set and match
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115447994916688512
Stretcher Alley
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115453781580920185
"Vital to telling the story"
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115461060077719445
Alright, explain this one!
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115464788249249384
Qana - the director's cut
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/08/qana-directors-cut.html
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (Green Helmet & Co, shows up in Tyre)
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_eureferendum_archive.html#115489272301235042
Doctored photos
Little Green Footballs uncovered an obviously doctored photo by Hajj
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21956_Reuters_Doctoring_Photos_from_Beirut&only
It was quickly picked up here on FR
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678470/posts
Reuters admitted the first photo (Beirut smoke) was doctored and suspended Hajj
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678852/posts
A second doctored photo (F16) was identified by Jawa
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678950/posts
Powerline blog exposes yet another suspect group of photos (same damage reported as new 12 days apart). Reuters calls the doctor, take 2
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/014919.php
Drinking from Home exposed more photos in "Extreme Makeover - Beirut Edition." This time, the same woman shown losing her home first in Southern Beirut on 7/22 and then in the "suburbs of Beirut" on 8/5
http://drinkingfromhome.blogspot.com/2006/08/extreme-makeover-beirut-edition.html
Reuters admitted the second photo was also doctored, fired Hajj and withdrew all 920 of his photographs at Reuters
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1679185/posts?q=1&&page=1#1
Sam of course, knows this already.
You guys don't know the half of it... some of the kids were disabled, refrigerated bodies and mass grave dates (along with many columns reporting the lack of places to put the bodies), the smoke photos (cloning and leveling) have been outed, planes photoshops outed, outing Burka lady now (I was at a funeral since this a.m., just back... she should be outed by now).
By the way, Hajj was suspended then the first picture pulled (that's how they do it), then when others were outed (smoke and planes), they pulled all the photos... he should be fired by now. Don't know yet.
I think he's already been fired. That is, his contract with them has been cancelled.
Not only that, how come Green Helmet Guy isn't covered with cement dust himself?
Meanie.
When I opened it this time, I saw your photo, which by the way, I've seen many times and agree with your assessment 100%
I'm getting the same thumbnail. The image comes and goes. Since the covers have been pulled on the Qana "massacre", have you noticed how quickly it dropped out of the media radar. That ought to tell you about as much as anything the affair was staged.
I wounder if that child was dying and unconscience in some of the earlier photos?
Unbelievable
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.