When I attended the Shore Leave Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention last month, I saw a T-shirt that I almost bought. It read: “I Am The Dread Pirate Roberts #73249. Ask Me About Franchise Possibilities In Your Area.” (The same vendor sold me this T-shirt.)
I was reminded of that when the whole Adnan Hajj/Reuters photo flap came up.
A couple of bloggers digging into his photos have noticed that Mr. Hajj is an amazingly prolific photographer, and really gets around. Perhaps around more than any one man physically can.
Now, this is purely speculation, with virtually no evidence to back it up, but I find myself wondering: could Mr. Hajj been more than just a photographer? Could he have been a clearinghouse for staged and faked photos, passing off the collective work of a whole group of fauxtographers all generating pro-Hezbollah, anti-Israel propaganda? And could he have traded on his own past accomplishments with Reuters to get those photos out to the world through the willing dupes, the “useful idiots” at Reuters?
If so, then the next logical question is this: if such a group exists, what is to prevent them from simply finding another front man to channel the propaganda stream? It’s a win-win for all concerned; the front man gets paid for the photos, while the propagandists get their work put out on a world stage.
I guess we’ll just have to trust the multiple layers of editors, fact-checkers, and professionals at Reuters and the other wire services to make sure it doesn’t happen.
No, I have NO idea how I wrote that last sentence without dissolving into hysterical laughter.
Jay,
Mr. Hajj is an amazingly prolific photographer,
I’m not 100% sure on the numbers but as I recall he had 46 photos published in the last 12 days.
That’s far far far from incredible, especially for a guy who is (was) also a sports photog.
and really gets around. Perhaps around more than any one man physically can.
Now THAT I’ve wondered about myself. Someone should spend some time with a map.
Paul
The simplest explanation is the best. He is/was simply a front man for the Hezbollah propaganda machine and was succesful at co-optiung Reuters for a long time until it became to obvious.
Very similar the the Al-Jazeera news teams that are on site immediately after any major attack/bombing in Iraq.
“Fauxtographer” — Damn, that’s pretty clever. Look for other bloggers to pick it up. Without giving Jay Tea credit, of course.