Altered photo of general prompts action from AP

[CommunityEditor]

The Army has reminded its public affairs officers of proper guidelines for handling photographs after The Associated Press removed from its service a digitally altered image of Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, the military’s first female four-star general.

It was the second Army image the AP eliminated in as many months and prompted the wire service to temporarily suspend its use of Defense Department images.

Bob Owen, deputy director of photography at the San Antonio Express-News, first reported the altered photo*graph, which ran at least once on a Military Times Web site.

“It looked a little too doctored, too clean,” he said.

It’s unclear, however, who altered the photograph, and how it ended up on the AP wire.

Army spokesman Paul Boyce said he was told the Dunwoody image was to be published in Army Logistician, a bimonthly journal, either before or after Dunwoody’s Nov. 14 promotion ceremony.

But Robert Paulus, editor of Army Logistician, said his publication has never published an image of Dunwoody, and didn’t plan to.

Christian Sheehy, editor of Military Logistics Forum, a magazine published by KMI Media
Group in Rockville, Md., said an image of Dunwoody appeared on the cover of the January-February 2007 issue, but without an American flag background.

Meanwhile, Boyce said the altered image didn’t appear to violate Defense Department image policy, which prohibits “cropping, editing or image enlargement that has the effect of misrepresenting the facts or circumstances of the event or object as originally recorded.”

Owen also reported in September a photo the AP banned of a deceased soldier, Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson, whose face, name and rank insignia appeared to have been altered.


Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...brief_120108w/


STAFF
The Associated Press decided to stop using Defense Department
photos after a photo of Gen. Ann Dunwoody was digitally altered
and released to the by the Army to the news wire service last
week. The original photo appears on the left and the digitally
altered photo appears on the right.

Alice

This article would make more sense if there was some point of reference to it. Was the general's face, uniform, weight, or ? alter to present a more professional appearance?

Just as it's written makes as much sense as the porn title of "Asian Born" attached to this thread....no such animal.......

One of the basic tenets of PAO and Army Visual Information MOSs is that imagery will not be altered. To have ANY PAO office issue out a photo of Gen Dunwoody that has been altered is totally unprofessional. To also release a photo of a Soldier KIA under the same circumstances is an insult to that Soldier, his service to our nation, and his family. Anyone could easily see that the uniforms were identical in both photos.

Both offices that released these images should be reprimanded to the highest degree. Our mission in VI is to report FACTS and nothing more. To alter the images, is to alter the truth, and this brings into question everything else that we submit for public release.

This was a very poor decision for these two offices to make. I know DINFOS teaches their students better than what has been demonstrated here.

Ok, so a "doctored" photo appeared in a mag, on the web or in the news or etc, really? You don't say? We all know it happens everyday. Is it that big of a deal, not really. Most people don't catch things unless it is pointed out, part of that living in ingorant bliss that so many people have come to learn and love. Is it right? No, but I think it's on par with how the media portarys anything to begin with. Between the far right and far left shows that are out there this doesn't surprise me in the bit. So they added a flag maybe took off a blimish or red-eye so what? Until only the truth comes out or you see it first hand can you believe anything anymore (WMD?). One day all the boys and girls crying wolf will be put in their place and no lie will get them out. Maybe not in this lifetime but karma comes back around and she's a mean mean......

[MRMIXITUP]

LOL!!! Busted!!

They tried to make her look younger for the hip and cool generation!

Kid #1: Dude, I'm not sure if I want to join the Army.
Kid #2: Yea, aren't all the women generals old and decrepit?
Kid #1: Exactly. Why would I want to join the Army if all the women generals look like Golum from Lord of the Rings?
Kid #2: Dude! Check this out! This Army female general is totally hot! And she loves the U.S.A.!
Kid #1: Awesome! I'm gonna go sign up for the Army right now! Wanna join me?
Kid #2: If all the old women look as hot as that, you bet I do!!

What's so hard to understand? It is against DoD Instruction 5040.05 to alter ANY Dept of Defense Image. Period. Who did it? BUST EM so the rest of us Visual Information/Multimedia and Public Affairs personnel don't look like total idiots. The problem nowadays is that everyone is a photographer, everyone is a graphic artist, everyone shoots video.. So u have non-trained personnel playing games. foul!

[rozerjack]

Ok. but plz i want full detail, can you give me?

[kojack]

I think they should state in the caption if the photo has been digitally altered. There is a diffeence between retouching photoflash out of a persons eyes in a picture and digitally replacing the background, or even adding people and subject matter to the photograph. Who knows if ANY picture is really the truth anymore?