North Korea Sends Doctored Photo To International News Outlets

by James Crugnale | 9:08 am, December 29th, 2011

» 19 comments

It was discovered on Wednesday that a photo displaying Kim Jong-Il‘s funeral procession, distributed by North Korea’s state news agency, had been doctored.

The doctored photo was disseminated to news agencies worldwide — even The New York Times carried the photograph — until the Associated Press contacted the paper, alerting them that some digital manipulation hi-jinks were afoot.

The Times went back with a digital forensics expert and found what exactly was removed from the photo.

If you notice in the far left of the photo, several people standing outside the crowd have been airbrushed out.

According to an analysis by The New York Times and the digital forensics expert Hany Farid of Dartmouth College, a photograph distributed by North Korea’s state news agency and transmitted by the European Pressphoto Agency was altered using Photoshop to remove the men after the picture was shot.

Another photo, taken from the same high vantage over the funeral route only seconds earlier by Kyodo News, a Japanese agency, and distributed by The Associated Press, revealed the changes.

New York Times writers J. David Goodman and David Furst surmise the photo was altered merely for “totalitarian aesthetics. With the men straggling around the sidelines, a certain martial perfection is lost. Without the men, the tight black bands of the crowd on either side look railroad straight.”

(h/t New York Times)

Kim Jong-Il, New York Times, North Korea, photo manipulation, Photoshop

Anonymous

Big deal! they airbrushed out not airbrushed in crowds like Fox did with their teaparty rally. Before you accuse me of making things up, Hannity apologized, when Jon Stewart called him out on using old clips.
Anonymous

Obamas fabricated birth certificate was doctored much worse than this.
WiddleBabyDanielson

Clueless_Conservative
Obamas fabricated birth certificate was doctored much worse than this.

You had better tell someone.
Anonymous

At least they had a photo, our media simply spikes stories completely if they have any negativity for Obama. has nbc ever reported on solyndra or fast and furious? abccbsnbccnnmsnbcnytimes are nothing more thn propagandists for the dnc – why make a big deal out of this when you give the US media a pass for doing worse than this?
http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

Totally shocking that N. Korea would “doctor” photos!!
John Berggren

OMG! The network that I watch, which is the only network I ever watch, tells me that every other network is lying to me and wants to eat my babies. They are teh evils!
Anonymous

Fox Lied People Died !!!

*drink*
Anonymous

This is much worse than N Korea’s photoshopping and anything Fox News ever has or ever will do !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvBQDHqdCck
Anonymous

Tiny_Tina…you’re pathetic.
Anonymous

Watch Out For Message Attackers !!!

2 So Far And Probably More To Follow !!
Anonymous

Like when Fox News showed palm trees in Wisconsin?
Henry Wood

As far as I know no one died, though Fox did lie.
Henry Wood

WHUR IZ DUHR BERF SERTIFIKUT!?!?!?!?!
Phil Bourekas

After the picture was airbrushed to remove the non-confirmists, N Korea imprisoned them to teach them to stay in a straight line.
http://www.facebook.com/bill.medvecky Bill Medvecky

They look like the Boner crying team to me.
Anonymous

Using old footage is hardly airbrushing in crowds. And bottom line is the footage was still of Tea Party events.
Anonymous

How is it that photos posted by North Korea becomes a battle of Left vs Right; Democrat vs Republican, or Fox vs CNN? This has been carried by AP and other outlets, but as of 2:14 AM EST, neither Fox nor CNN have made mention of it. We don’t need foreign enemies – we’ll just destroy ourselves from inside and save them the trouble.
Anonymous

Its funny how the left makes up facts (or distorts truths) as easy as they breathe. Then they say, “if you dont believe me then…”, in the hopes noone will actually fact check them and just believe their nonsense. The fact is, fox did not “airbrush” in crowds. They showed footage of one tea party rally from a previous date and said it was a more recent rally. The left and misinformation are like Obama and scandals…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Weiss/100000817744695 Jeff Weiss

Why yes, they did, If you don’t watch those channels, there is always Google video search Tina you twit.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7384914n
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7384880n
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20122000-10391695.html
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/20/could-fast-and-furious-eventually-become-president-obamas-watergate/?iref=allsearch
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2011/12/08/bts-holder-hearing-fast-furious.cnn?iref=allsearch
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/politics/holder-clashes-with-republicans-on-fast-and-furious.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=fast%20furious%20holder&st=cse
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/facts-sought-on-d-e-a-informants/?scp=7&sq=fast%20furious%20holder&st=cse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-UiHMHEAc0
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/video/solyndra-loan-14536989
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/13/politics/main20120007.shtml

My son tells me that we are late for the YMCA this morning, so I have to go, but I could literally do this all day.