Assignment | tenminutesuntilmidnight

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/03/24/cameroons-government-tries-and-fails-to-spin-embarrassing-photoshop-fail-into-hack-attack/

A photoshopped image of the Cameroon president was uploaded onto the Presidency of the Republic’s website. The president had been absent for the ceremonies honoring fallen Cameroonian soldiers, and the Cameroonian people were frustrated that their president was so indifferent to the lives lost. To calm the people, the government posted a photoshopped picture of the president with the coffins. They took it off soon later after the people grew angry that the government had tried to deceive them.

This photoshopped image tries to manipulate the viewer. It is supposed to make the viewer think that the president was at the ceremony honoring the dead, when he was actually absent. The editing had a large effect on the Cameroonian community, and they were outraged that the government had the audacity to post the fake picture. It made them believe even more that the president was indifferent to the soldiers’ lives, because he was willing to photoshop a picture that lied to the people in order to avoid the fact that he hadn’t attended any ceremonies.

Overall, I believe this picture was photoshopped for immoral reasons. The president was trying to lie to the people by showing something that hadn’t actually happened.

Bonus (pre-Photoshop photo trickery):

This is an example of photo trickery before Photoshop was invented. The photo was staged, and the fairies were put in on purpose. The fairies were cardboard cut-outs that were propped up by hairpins. It tricked viewers into thinking that the fairies were real, and even author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, was fooled into thinking they were real.