Accuracy in Media

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Deception: Situation Room Photo Staged


 


BY DON IRVINE  |  MAY 6, 2011


 


  



The photo of President Obama's national security team watching the raid on
Osama bin Laden's compound isn't all that it appears to be.

According to the
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8493391/Osama-bin-Laden-
dead-Blackout-during-raid-on-bin-Laden-compound.html?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4dc1
ce3920772825%2C0>  Telegraph, CIA director Leon Panetta admitted that there
was no live video footage of the raid as the specially mounted helmet
cameras had been cut off.

In an interview with PBS, Mr Panetta said: "Once those teams went into the
compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25
minutes where we really didn't know just exactly what was going on. And
there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.

"We had some observation of the approach there, but we did not have direct
flow of information as to the actual conduct of the operation itself as they
were going through the compound."

If that was the case what was the national security team looking at? As it
turns out it was just another photo op staged by the White House for
dramatic effect and it resonated around the world.

 
<http://www.aim.org/don-irvine-blog/deception-situation-room-photo-staged-2/
attachment/binladen-3/> 

Women <http://www.wwd.com/eyescoop/peak-time-3601104/> 's Wear Daily was
duly impressed by the photo and asked other photographers for their
reactions:

Here, photography editors and designers explain why the picture is destined
to be one for the history books:

Richard Turley, creative director, Bloomberg Businessweek
"I don't think it's something that you would look at as an incredible piece
of photography, but as a moment of time captured, it's very powerful..It's
quite a human picture isn't it: The way Obama kind of tucked himself into
the corner, the body language on everyone..It's weight is in your own
baggage of the picture, your own prior knowledge about what's going on and
what they're looking at."

Dora Somosi, director of photography, GQ
"It really is the two faces, between Obama's intensity and Hillary Clinton's
surprise and shock, or whatever the hand covering the mouth is. That's where
your eye goes. She may not have had her hand over her mouth a second later,
but [the photographer] did catch a moment. I think it's about those two
people and catching their unguarded reaction..I think it's further validated
by the document that's in front of Hillary that's been wiped out a bit
because it's classified information. That makes you feel that you have an
insider view."

Kira Pollack, director of photography for Time
"The Hillary Clinton expression is the one that holds the photograph fully.
The reaction of her hand over her face. Her eyes. Clearly, she's reacting to
something she's watching. She's very unaware she's being photographed. To
me, the whole image is about Hillary. In some ways, she holds the image. You
look at her first, and then you look at everyone else. That instinctive
reaction that must have happened for her hand to go over her mouth like
that? There must be something powerful on that screen..The other thing about
this picture that we all find fascinating is that the document that is
blurred. It's one more element of what's in that room. How extraordinary is
it that we're seeing inside that room?"

History book alright. The book of fake photos.

And as for that dramatic reaction by Hillary Clinton, New York
<http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/05/hillary_clinton_was_just_cough.html>
magazine got the real scoop:

"I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my
early spring allergic coughs," she said
<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLINTON_WHITE_HOUSE_PHOTO?SITE=AP
&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-05-05-20-0> . "So, it may have
no great meaning whatsoever."

Powerful  indeed. Next time bring along some cough drops.

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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