Photo News Blog

It’s a big day for photojournalism ethics. First Schneider, then this.

Two photographs were stitched together to make it look as though police were just standing around as several prostitutes in Cuba were flaunting their goods on an inside page of Miami’s El Nuevo Herald newspaper, the spanish-speaking child of the Miami Herald. Photographer Roberto Koltun objected to his two photos being used in this way, but apparently his concerns were disregarded. 

UPDATE: El Nuevo admits wrongdoing (Google translated page) 

Patrick Schneider, the talented Charlotte Observer photographer who was reprimanded in 2003 for altering color and contrast of photos, was recently fired for the same offense. 

In a clarification from C-O editor Rick Thames printed on July 28, Thames states:

The photo, taken by Observer photographer Patrick Schneider, appeared on the front of the Local & State section. It depicted a Charlotte firefighter on a ladder, silhouetted by the light of the early morning sun.

In the original photo, the sky in the photo was brownish-gray. Enhanced with photo-editing software, the sky became a deep red and the sun took on a more distinct halo.

And later he continues:

Because of the most recent violation of our photo policy, Schneider no longer works at the Observer.

We apologize for this misstep. Your trust is important to us. We will do all we can to ensure the integrity of all of our photos going forward.

Editor & Publisher story 

Link to the photo in question

Poynter link for past Schneider incident

C-O editorial (subscription may be required)