Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-03
GULLING THE PUBLIC WITH
PHOTOGRAPHIC FAKES


used to illustrate news stories, so gen.
eral has the practice now become that
the reading public expects pictures"
of the most notable news events of
the day in the daily paper, and has
small patience with any newspaper
which fails to satisfy this expectation.
To this is due the fact that every up
to-date newspaper includes in its staff
a regular photographer or perhaps
several knights of the camera; and to
these men is the public indebted for
actual photographs" of scenes and
happenings of interest.
This demand for pictures is also re-
sponsible, however, for what is known
as Photographic taking" which Is
nothing more than deceiving the pub
lie into thinking that an actual photo
graph of some event of interest has
been obtained, when, as a matter OF
fact, no photographer was near the
place at the time of the incident pic
tured. One of the commoner exam
pies of Photographic taking is to OBJ
tain a picture of the scene of an acci-
dent, for instance a train wreck or an
automobile accident, long after all
traces of the accident have been re-
moved, and to then fake in" a pic
ture of an entirely different wrecked
train or car and present the result TO
of the happening described.
Probably one of tire most audacious
and at the same time the most ludi-
crous Photographic fakes of recent
years was attempted by certain
daily paper during one of the aviation
meets held in the United States since
the early part of the present year. In
a picture" occupying nearly half a
page an aeroplane was shown passing
over the grandstand, while second
flying machine was seen speeding In
the opposite direction. At first glance
the picture appeared a triumph OF pho-
tographic art, but when some unklnd
critic pointed out that the eyes of the
crowd in the grandstand, which should
under the circumstances have Deen
focused on the two aeroplanes, were
instead turned in an entirely dlHerent
direction, the fake was quickly ex-
posed, as closer examination proved
that both the machines were far out
of true perspective and were badly
distorted, when compared to the lines
of the grandstand.
Another method of taking which is
often resorted to by newspapers which
strain a point to give the impression
that they are always ION the spot" Is
that of illustrating stories of serious
fires, in which large amounts of prop
erty are destroyed or damaged. Read
ers of the daily papers often express
astonishment when they see In pup
lications issued in cities miles away
from the scene of such disaster an
actual photograph of the burning
building, with flames and smoke pour
ing from the windows and streams of
water pouring on the flames. They
little guess that the real picture was
merely a photograph of the building
and that the realistic flames and smoke
was carefully ''faked in" by skillful
artist. In some instances genuine pho-
tographs of fire apparatus and f1remen
at work are inserted in the foreground
of the picture and the public takes it
the paper which secured the actual
photograph" of the disaster within
such an short time of it's occurrence,
One of the most successful fakes per-
petrated on the public was that ac-
complshed by a newspaper in the Pa
cific northwest, during the recent visit
of President Taft to the Pacific coast.
The publication referred to was an aft
ernoon paper, and the president was
scheduled to deliver a brief address
from the platform of his private car,
when the train stopped for few mo-
ments in the town. According to pro-
gram, the address was delivered, only
a few moments before the last edition
of the paper mentioned appeared on
the streets. and readers of the publi-
cation were vastly surprised to find
upon the front page of the paper
huge photograph of the president,
standing in a characteristic attitude
on the rear platform of the car, sur
rounded by the members of his party,
opd xuaa RING fha familiar sTaff cTniIa -