Winds of Change.NET: Busted

January 29, 2007

Busted

by Michael Totten at January 29, 2007 9:27 AM

Lebanese bloggers Rampurple and Jeha, who both show up at times in my comments section, busted Hezbollah and Michel Aoun for peddling a blatantly doctored photograph on Hezbollah's An Manar TV channel.

Here is a screen shot of Aoun holding up the photo on TV.

Aoun%20Propaganda%20Screen%20Shot.jpg

Below is the photo. It supposedly shows a (Christian) Lebanese Forces "militia man" in the lower-left corner pointing a weapon at Lebanese soldiers. Notice the cross on his sleeve. The man and the cross were photoshopped in.

AntiLF%20Propaganda%20Photo.jpg

Here is the real picture.

Real%20Picture%20Before%20Doctoring.jpg

And here is the picture that was used as bad photoshop fodder. It was taken during last summer's war and was itself criticized as propaganda for its inaccurate caption. Notice the cross on the sleeve isn't there. That's because this man is Hezbollah, not a member of the Christian Lebanese Forces.

Fake%20Photo%20Fodder.jpg

Hats off to Lebanese bloggers for exposing this one. Busting propagandists for fauxtography isn't just for Americans any more.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: Lebanese blogger Nancy says Aoun and Hezbollah were busted on television by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. So this isn't just a blogosphere thing. And N10452 posted this at Rampurple's site, not Rampurple herself. Credit where it's due.

UPDATE: Beirut's Daily Star picked up the story.

UPDATE: Apologies to EU Referendum. I should have said "Westerners," not "Americans."

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Comments

#1 from The Realist at 10:21 am on Jan 29, 2007

The tragedy is that the vast majority of the people on the ground in Beirut now aren't going to be able to find out that this is doctored... rumour and conspiracy theory has a power of its own in such situations. If only all the world were bloggers, we might live in peace!

#2 from Dusty at 2:08 pm on Jan 29, 2007

That is too funny. I remembered the guy photoshopped in immediately because of the controversy surrounding the 'Israeli fighter downed' story.

Realist, it is highly likely the vast majority will never know, if one does nothing. If, however, one does something, there is a better probability that many will know. God knows, activists like to make posters for demonstrations. They also like to hand out leaflets and hang them on lightposts. Suitably humorous ones make it more likely they will be remembered, too. Mentioning the issue of Time (or was it Newsweek?) that the guy appeared on the cover of, helps some non-Internet people with verification.

#3 from JD at 6:15 pm on Jan 29, 2007

That's the funniest post of the month It is obvious that it is photoshopped. Everything in this picture is wrong, don't tell me Aound didn't know it. First the picture is odd, the "militia man" is much brighter in the pic. Second, it makes no sense, that he is shooting at 30 soldiers and nobody is giving him the eye anyway. And who's that hero photogrpaher anyway. I mean this is even without seeing the other true picture. Pathetic times really. I would like to post this on my blog.

#4 from Achillea at 8:16 pm on Jan 29, 2007

And the cries of 'fake but accurate' begin in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ...

#5 from J Aguilar at 8:37 pm on Jan 29, 2007

3/11 was also a BIG LIE and the bad guys succeded. People tend to believe in what their eyes see, shocked people do not think.

It all depends on the control the bad guys can exercise on the MSM, especially TV news channels.

#6 from NahnCee at 12:43 am on Jan 30, 2007

Really, if people are stupid enough (or desperate enough) to believe this photograph, then they deserve to die from the attack of the killer green balloons from Israel.

#7 from JL at 3:38 pm on Jan 30, 2007

Seems to me the Army of God might be an Army of One, this guy!