HonestReporting Canada Tackles Flotilla "Fauxtography"

The recent public anger over Reuters images of injured and bleeding Israel naval commandos that cropped out weapons being carried by activists aboard the Mavi Marmara flotilla ship led to the news agency offering new uncropped photos on its wire service.

While this controversy is well known, another media outlet was responsible for similar biased photo editing, according to HonestReporting Canada. The Hamilton Spectator, on June 9, printed a column by Gwynne Dyer entitled “Gaza Strip blockade must end”. HonestReporting reported that attached to the column was an Associated Press photo, of a scene similar to the previously edited Reuters photos, in which photo editors at the Spectator cropped out a knife being wielded by a “peace activist”, thereby changing the intention of what was taking place in the photo.

HonestReporting contacted senior editors at the Spectator. They admitted that the “crop was unfortunate” but “not intentional.” However, they agreed to “be more sensitive in the future.”

“We accepted that this was an isolated incident and appreciate the Spectator’s explanation and candour,” HonestReporting wrote. “In the interest of fairness, the Spectator also granted HonestReporting Canada op-ed space to expose their inadvertent fauxtography.”

In its June 19 edition, the Spectator published an HonestReporting op-ed which pointed out that the “photograph was more than it seemed.” The newspaper also republished the uncropped photo with a caption clarifying how the knife was “unfortunately” cropped out by a photo editor.

To read HonestReporting Canada’s op-ed, click here.