A Daily Telegraph update on the Lebanese army’s siege of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp featured the following photographs together with this caption:
Palestinians race for shelter while peering over their shoulders at an Israeli missile [circled]. A cloud of dust rises after the bomb explodes
Shocked that the Lebanese army is getting weapons from Israel? We were. But even more shocking is that the photo has absolutely nothing to do with Lebanon. Here’s the real caption:
Nusseirat Refugee Camp, -: Palestinians runs for cover as a missile fired by the Israeli military is seen nearly hitting its target during an Israeli air strike on Hamas’ Executive Force building in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza strip, 25 May 2007. Warplanes pounded the Gaza Strip for a ninth day today as Palestinians continued to fire rockets into Israel despite a call from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas for a truce. EDS: NOTE RECROP HMS09. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)
Technically, the Telegraph’s caption isn’t inaccurate. But placing it with a report about a different refugee camp suggests a very different story.
Similar incidents at the NY Times and Time unfairly damaged other photojournalists’ reputations. Credit Hams with a great shot and a fair caption. How did Daily Telegraph editors botch this?
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