Conclusive proof that the photographs from Qana were cynically staged, as “Green Helmet” directs cameramen in a video from German TV (with English subtitles). They actually take the body of a child out of the ambulance, transfer it from the light stretcher used in the ambulance to the heavy duty gurney used in the rescue operation (to create the impression that it has just arrived from the bombed area), uncover it, and pose it for photographs.

UPDATE at 8/10/06 8:18:53 am:

For more on this ghoulish manipulation of the media, see Newsbusters and Hot Air.

In the battle to control the information coming out of Lebanon, Hizballah has definitely got the media on its side. But for the first time, thanks to Adnan Hajj and his lack of Photoshop skill, the media are being held to account for allowing themselves to be used by a terrorist group.

UPDATE at 8/10/06 8:27:27 am:

This is a good time to point out AP’s statement about allegations the Qana photographs were stage-managed by Hizballah (hat tip: Geepers). From AP senior vice president and executive editor Kathleen Carroll:

“It’s hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy,” said Kathleen Carroll, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor.

Carroll said in addition to personally speaking with photo editors, “I also know from 30 years of experience in this business that you can’t get competitive journalists to participate in the kind of (staging) experience that is being described.”