« Communion and Politicians | Main | Government Control of Private Education »

Media Rush Leads to Photo Error

The media rush to distribute controversial photos about the war has led to a huge error involving the representation of Columbia space shuttle casualties as Iraqi war casualties. (complete story). "CNN Headline news was flashing several pictures of NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory standing on the tarmac receiving the bodies of the Columbia crew at Dover Air Force Base in February 2003 and claiming that the photos are of caskets containing war dead arriving home from Iraq in 2004."

At the time of this writing, the Associated Press still has a story which includes photos of American war dead arriving at Dover Air Force. The story implies the photographs were suppressed until obtained through a freedom of information filing by First Amendment activist Russ Kick. In reality, they include pictures following the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy.

Reuters has already issued a statement regarding their mistake.

It turns out that Mr. Kick asked for all photos and mixed American casualties from the Columbia tragedy with those from Iraq. Click below for more information.

Nasa Press Release

COLUMBIA CREW MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED AS IRAQI WAR CASUALTIES

Many news organizations across the country are mistakenly identifying the flag-draped caskets of the Space Shuttle Columbia's crew as those of war casualties from Iraq.

Editors are being asked to confirm that the images used in news reports are in fact those of American casualties and not those of the NASA astronauts who were killed Feb.1, 2003, in the Columbia tragedy.

An initial review of the images featured on the Internet site www.thememoryhole.org shows that more than 18 rows of images from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware are actually photographs of honors rendered to Columbia's seven astronauts.

News organizations across the world have been publishing and distributing images featured on the web site.

Reuters Statement:

ATTENTION EDITORS: CAPTION CLARIFICATION STATING THAT COFFINS ARE NOT OF U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL BUT ARE BELIEVED TO BE OF CREW MEMBERS OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA - Coffins believed to be of members of the crew of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia are offloaded by Air Force honor guards at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware in this undated photo. The orbiter burned up on reentry in February, 2003. The image was originally released with a description stating that the coffins were of U.S. military personnel. REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/www.thememoryhole.org FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Posted by tim at April 24, 2004 9:27 AM

Articles Related to News: