I read your response a second time. And my other answer still stands. I just wanted to add that not only do I know “photographs”, I know photographers. Something people should understand, as an aside, is that with the advent of the Internet news services, the pressure to get your photos uploaded immediately (and in most BIG venues like major sporting events and conventions) they actually have runners taking the digital cards back to a media room to upload images.
Quite honestly, this is the kind of picture I would take as a throw away, or to show to my wife (as in, can you believe what this clown was wearing.). That is one reason you don’t see much of an ID on the image. The guy uploading and captioning it for Getty is in New York City— he doesn’t know the shooter or the person in the picture.
Again, I am not trying to change your mind—but rather give you some perspective on the job of a photo journalist these days. I think you would be surprised at how many of us are conservative. We tend not to be art and liberal arts majors—but we came to the business through other routes. We roll our eyes a lot. We also make fun of the TV people. A lot.
LOL! Good for you!
Please don't take my comments as swinging some broad brush to paint all journalists, photographers, or anyone else involved in the business as liberals. I know they're not.
I also know some people are a holes and get their jollies by publicly displaying what most people would consider inappropriate behavior.
Liberals, however, constantly try to pretend 'the other side' is something they aren't. We've all seen it ourselves. The 'hate crime' that wasn't. The 'racism' that wasn't. All perpetrated by the liberals with the rationale "Well.... we're SURE it happened somewhere" when they're caught in the act.
My only point is that their own past actions now makes ALL their evidence suspect.
And we really have no way of knowing for certain if the guy uploading the photo in New York would have a clue as to whether it was photoshopped or not. Nor would we know for certain if the guy who uploaded it in New York wasn't the one who photo-shopped it.
As whether or not it IS photo-shopped;
Personally, I believe it is. You apparently believe that it's not.
We'll just have to agreeably agree to disagree on that one.
(grin)