Still More Photo Staging Identified

Tue, Aug 15, 2006 at 8:42:22 am PDT

Ray Robison has yet another example of staged photojournalism from Lebanon, a car with verses from the Koran strategically placed for propaganda effect: Al-AP at it again with staged photos. Ray comments:

Notice this car has a wall-hanging positioned on the door. An Arabic reader tells me this board has verses from the Koran on it. Because Islam does not allow for images of the Prophet Mohammed, Muslims use verses to adorn their homes the same way some Christians use paintings of Jesus. If you want to make the argument that this wall-hanging got where it is by chance, then feel free, or you can just acknowledge what anybody with two brains cells to rub together can see, the board was placed there for the photo.

Here’s the car before the Koran verses were placed:

A Lebanese civilian stands next to a wrecked car August 8, 2006 as he watches rescue works at the site of yesterday’s Israeli strike on Chiyah, a residential neighbourhood. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

And here it is with the scene fully set:

Lebanese men stand as civil defense rescuers, unseen, work to recover the bodies of citizens believed to be trapped under debris and concrete of destroyed buildings, attacked late Monday by Israeli forces, in the southern Beirut suburb of Chiah, Lebanon, Tuesday Aug. 8, 2006. The raid on the Muslim southern suburb next to a Christian neighborhood killed at least 15 people, police officials said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

UPDATE at 8/15/06 9:43:10 am:

Lefteris Pitarakis, who took the staged photo above, is one of the photographers (along with the discredited Adnan Hajj) rewarded by the Associated Press for his photos from Qana: AP Rewards Qana Photographers.