So Real, It’s Fake! Photo Manipulation in Journalism
When deepfakes and fake news dominate our news headlines, it is more urgent than ever to investigate news and photo sources. Librarian Mervin Ang charts the origins and evolution of photo manipulation in journalism.
“UFO captured on camera!”, “Loch Ness Monster spotted!”. These were the book titles that grabbed my attention whenever I visited the library or the bookstore during my childhood years. I would pore through the pages to look at the pictures, usually black-and-white and featured said flying saucer or “monster”. I recall that I would always find something “off” about some of the photographs; it could be the inconsistent lighting or scale, or that they just looked fake.
Years later, my interest in this genre would serve me well when I had the opportunity to curate a section in a photojournalism exhibition. The showcase was about how photos are manipulated from past to present times and I was able to indulge my fascination with some of the cases I found.
Smoke and Mirrors in Wartime Photography
From the early 20th century, journalism began to harness the power of photography to tell stories and shape public opinion, especially during wartime. This is where some of the more notable cases of photo manipulation were documented.
I chose this photograph by Soviet Army photographer Yevgeny Khaldei, which depicts the victory of Russian forces over Nazi Germany in 1945. Khaldei enlisted the help of a soldier to pose with the Russian flag on the German Reichstag (Parliament) building to symbolise Russian victory. He later added dark smoke in the background and altered the contrast of the original photo for a more dramatic finish. Khaldei also erased an additional watch on the soldier’s right wrist to conceal common looting habits among the soldiers during World War II.
The doctored photo was published in Russian propaganda magazines and thousands of other publications around the world. As a history buff myself, this case is intriguing as it calls into question the boundaries of ethics and journalistic integrity.
The Digital Revolution
In the decades that followed, photography became more accessible to the masses while competition was fierce in journalism with more news agencies fighting for the elusive “exclusive” photos. I recall reading about the numerous lawsuits filed by famous personalities against tabloid newspapers through the years.¹
By the late 20th century, the digital revolution has transformed photo manipulation from an intricate craft to a digital marvel. The advent of software such as Adobe Photoshop revolutionised the field, making photo manipulation faster, easier and more sophisticated.
In 2016, a doctored photograph titled “Looking Up” went viral on social media platforms when it was posted by Nikon as a winning entry in an amateur photography competition in Singapore. The photographer, Chay Yu Wei, took the original photo of looking up a set of ladders and admitted later that he digitally added the plane for humour.
I recalled reading the comments of this post, and it certainly did not disappoint, as several netizens added their own humorous takes of Chay’s original photograph.
Eventually, both Chay and Nikon apologised and the entry was removed from the contest. To me, this incident serves as a good reflection of the current digital age where images can be easily manipulated using photo-editing software. The creative humour from netizens’ responses is a welcome bonus.
The New Wave of Generative A.I.
These days, everyone is concerned about generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the unknown ethical implications it could bring about.
These AI image generators work by taking a text prompt and then turning it into a matching image. Popular generators like Midjourney, DALL·E2 and Adobe Firefly (Photoshop) have opened up a realm of infinite creative possibilities, but also raised debates and concerns on AI-generated misinformation and artistic merits.
For example, AI-generated images of former US president Donald Trump getting arrested went viral in March 2023 after Twitter user Eliot Higgins decided to generate them for visualisation purposes after reading about Trump’s indictment.
Popular celebrities such as Taylor Swift were not spared either. Deepfake videos of her were used for various purposes, ranging from her promoting and selling branded cookware² to explicit images and videos of her appearing on social media and adult websites.³ These instances highlight the fact that anyone can be a victim, as long as there is enough publicly accessible images or videos of the individual online.
To illustrate the realism and specificity of such generators, here is an image that Midjourney came up with when prompted with “A rock band enjoying a meal of Singaporean dishes, with Marina Bay Sands in the background”.
Being S.U.R.E. of Photos and Images
When digitally-manipulated images can alter how stories are told and perceived, it is important for us to stay vigilant about the media we come across. Using the images of Trump’s fake arrest, for instance, we can investigate the following:
Source: Look at its origins. Are they trustworthy?
Make sure that the source of information is credible and reliable.
> The images of Donald Trump getting arrested came from a Twitter (now X) account (Eliot Higgins). It is a personal account and not an official government account. This should raise questions of its authenticity.
Understand: Know what you’re reading. Search for clarity.
Look for facts rather than opinions. Question personal biases.
> The caption accompanying the images reads: “Making pictures of Trump getting arrested while waiting for Trump’s arrest”. It is clear that these images are being produced by Eliot Higgins himself.
Research: Dig deeper. Go beyond the initial source.
Investigate thoroughly before making a conclusion. Check and compare with multiple sources.
> These images were posted on 21 March 2023. Look for news from reputable agencies, such as New York Times, on the same date to verify if this incident had in fact taken place.
Evaluate: Find the balance. Exercise fair judgement.
Look from different angles. There are at least two sides to every story.
> Conduct a search on Google to see coverage of this story.
Find out more about NLB’s S.U.R.E. (Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate) steps to discern the information you read online, [JY1] or pay a visit to The News Gallery: Beyond Headlines exhibition to learn more about the evolution of photojournalism.
Visit The News Gallery: Beyond Headlines exhibition at the National Library Building (Level 11) to check out some of the highlighted cases above. The exhibition is open daily from 10 am to 9 pm (except public holidays).
To check out the S.U.R.E. team’s list of programmes on Generative AI and information literacy, click here.
Mervin Ang is Manager/Librarian with the Outreach team at the National Library Board’s Programmes and Services (Outreach) team. His work includes creating content and programmes on digital media and information literacy, misinformation and news literacy.
We publish our articles on our social media channels. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on our stories!
Further reading
1. Jitendra Sharma and Rohita Sharma, “Analysis of Key Photo Manipulation Cases and their Impact on Photography,” IIS University Journal of Arts, 2018.
2. Fiona Macdonald, “Eye-opening Soviet Photos”. BBC Culture, 23 November 2018.
3. Chew Hui Min, “Photographer whose viral altered photo won Nikon Facebook contest apologises for his ‘mistake,’” Straits Times, 2 February 2016.
4. Isaac Becker and Nix, N, “Fake images of Trump arrest show ‘giant step’ for AI’s disruptive power,” The Washington Post, 22 March 2023
5. How to Spot Doctored Photographs. (2023). Retrieved from NLB S.U.R.E. website
[1] Check out the Further Reading section for more resources or visit our The News Gallery: Beyond Headlines exhibition at Level 11, National Library Building.
[2] Emily St. Martin, “Beware Taylor Swift, the AI Edition: The singer is not giving away free Le Creuset cookware,” Los Angeles Times, 10 January 2024.
[3] Nicola Henry and Alice Witt, “Commentary: Taylor Swift deepfake explicit images are a warning anyone can be targeted,” Channel News Asia, 4 February 2024
