In genuine flip-flop, Obama White House ends faked news photo practice

A quick update on that embarrassing faked photo imbroglio over President Obama's 'I-caught-Osama-bin-Laden-and-he's-dead' speech two weeks ago.

As Ticket readers recall from this item at the time, the photos viewed by millions around the world of the American president making the dramatic White House announcement late that Sunday night were actually not taken during the speech.

They came from a staged reenactment by Obama for the benefit of news photographers minutes after the live TV coverage had ended.

Although some previous presidents have also facilitated the fake photos at times to maximize publicity of whatever event it was, the Osame bin Laden speech reenactment was particularly dicey because this Democratic administration had not and will not release photos of the SEALs raid event or Osama bin Laden's body.

So, some admitted fakes on the controversial death announcement in a conspiratorial world suggested there might be other fakery involved.

Late last week a White House spokesman said it was ending the little-known practice. "We have concluded that this arrangement is a bad idea," said Josh Earnest.

For the record, Earnest only made the statement one time.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press (Obama reenacting his May 1 speech on the death of Bin Laden).

Comments

[repsac3]

That's pretty crazy, that the White House is responding to this ginned up nontroversy by ending a practice employed by many Presidents many times over the years. Their reasons for doing it are sound--why have flashbulbs and noise during these kinds of speeches, when all the President in question--visually, anyway--is standing there talking?--and yet they're caving to this oddly unimportant issue, and those who brought it up, whatever their reasons or motives, and ending the practice.

I hope folks are pleased with themselves, and with this "victory" for... who, exactly?

(Photos of my posting this taken in real time are not available. But I'll reenact it for those interested, if necessary.)

[SoulRBL]

This is complete idiocy. It's customary to stage shots before or after the speech. They do the same thing with promo shots during TV and movie recordings.

Perhaps, if the Times wants its print edition to stay competitive with online media, it could reduce costs by cutting political commentary from journalists who can't be bothered to report actual news of any significant import.