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Last update - 22:43 06/08/2006
Reuters admits image of Beirut after IAF strike was doctored
By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent
The Reuters news agency admitted Sunday that it had published a doctored photograph of Beirut after an Israel Air Force strike on Saturday morning.In the original image, thin smoke can be seen rising over the Lebanese capital, but in the second photograph, thick, black smoke can be seen billowing over the buildings. Reuters said that it has suspended Adnan Hajj, the Lebanese photographer who submitted the image, until further notice. The organization also said that it is investigating the incident.
Claims that the photograph had been doctored were published on a number of blogs, which rushed to prove that the image had been retouched in using the PhotoShop program. All photographs taken for Reuters around the world are sent to Singapore, where they undergo certain editorial processes before being distributed to the agency's many clients. On Sunday, Reuters removed the retouched picture from its catalogue and replaced it with the original.