Reply from Venezuela on the Sing Tao deception

The story that has been all over the blog this week, on the Sing Tao Daily's use of a picture from an anti-government demonstration in Venezuela in 2004 to demonize anti-WTO protestors in Hong Kong in 2005, takes a new twist.

If you remember, the wonderful website venezuelanalysis.com had run a copy of the picture during its coverage of those demos back in 2004, and had credited it to one Ernesto Navarro. With the help of folks from that website, I managed to contact Mr. Navarro and ask for some information regarding his involvement with the photograph, his correspondance with Sing Tao about its use, and his opinions on how it had actually been used.

His reply to me revealed some very interesting, but on the other hand entirely predictable things. Rather than some elaborate and clever conspiracy, it seems to me that someone at the newspaper basically cut and pasted the photograph from somewhere on the internet, and used it in order to back up the gung-ho pro-police line that that article and the newspaper were taking.

In more ways than one, that was very, very stupid. Ernesto Navarro and the people who actually took the photograph, a community media group based in Caracas, are pissed about it's use, as you can read in his reply, posted below. It's up to us now to make them regret trying to pull this deception, and to put as much pressure on them and other media institutions as possible...

Anyway, here is the majority of Ernesto Navarro's reply to me... my English translation first, then the original Spanish:

I have received with much astonishment the information submitted regarding a photograph, judged to be my work, for various reasons:

1). I want to express that this photograph that is referenced was taken in CARACAS, in one of the protests that aims to destabilize the democratically-elected government of Venezuela, and intends to create a situation of insecurity in the country.

2). Said photograph is part of a series of photographs belonging to [the group] Medios de Comunicacion Independientes y Comunitarios. The photograph is not mine, I was put in charge of distributing it on the internet, and I am upset that it has been judged as mine rather that its real author’s.

3). At no point did they communicate with me to solicit the use of the photograph—repeat, taken in CaracasVenezuela in the year 2004.

4). I am a Venezuelan journalist, and collaborate on the websites: www.aporrea.org, www.postalesdelsur.net, www.porlalibre.org, www.nuestraamerica.info, www.adital.net.br, www.aliados.net, www.redvoltairnet.org, among others. My professional and ideological position is expressed in my articles.

5). I express my profound rejection of the manipulation of information for whatever end. I defend the freedom of expression and the right of citizens to be informed in an opportune and truthful manner.

6). I reject the use of any press material for the public that is distorted, and in this way accuses citizens.

7). I express my support for the 14 young people detained, in the sense that the truth of their actions should be found, and they should not be accused nor slandered by the manipulation of images that are circulating on the internet.

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He recibido con mucho asombro la información que me suministra sobre la utilización de una fotografía, adjudicada a mi autoría, por varias razones:

1.- Quiero expresar que esa fotografía a la que hace referencia fue tomada en CARACAS, en una de las protestas que, manifestantes desestabilizadores del gobierno democrático de Venezuela, intentaron crear una situación de intranquilidad en el país-.

2.- Dicha fotografía forma parte de una secuencia de fotos que pertenecen a Medios de Comunicación Independientes y Comunitarios. La fotografía no es mía, yo fui el encargado de distribuirla por internet y lamento que me la adjudicaran y no a sus verdadero autor.

3.- En ningún momento se comunicaron conmigo para solicitar la utilización de la fotografía, repito, hecha en Caracas, Venezuela en el año 2004. Tampoco para contactar a su autor.

4.- Soy periodista venezolano, colaborador de los sitios: www.aporrea.org, www.postalesdelsur.net, www.porlalibre.org, www.nuestraamerica.info, www.adital.net.br, www.aliados.net, www.redvoltairnet.org, y otros sitios. Mi posición ideológica y profesional está expresada en mis artículos periodísticos.

5.- Expreso mi profundo rechazo a la manipulación de la información para cualquier fin. Defiendo la libertad de expresión y el derecho de los ciudadanos a estar informados de forma oportuna y veraz.

6.- Rechazo la utilización de cualquier material de prensa, por público que sea, para tergiversarlo y de esta forma acusar a ciudadanos.

7.- Expreso mi apoyo a los 14 jóvenes detenidos en el sentido de que se busque la verdad de los hechos, pero que no sean acusados, ni calumniados manipulando imágenes que circulan por internet.

Atentamente,

Lic. Ernesto J. Navarro

Periodista Venezolano

Caracas, 07 de enero de 2006

Comments

[ilangq]

Hi pranjal, this is a great blog! Comrades here in the Philippines actually held a protest action in front of the Chinese Embassy and in solidarity demanded for the release of the Hong Kong 14 yesterday morning. I wasn't able to cover the event, unfortunately, so I've no pictures to show for that. Anyway, this is the first time I've heard of the fraudulent use of the picture against the anti-WTO protesters, thanks for exposing it. Looking forward to reading future posts. Cheers, Ilang

[pranjal]

Ilang! Great to hear from you, and thanks so much for the comment. I hope things are going ok for you guys in the Philippines... heard about your actions over there, did you hear about the results of the latest hearing?

Also I saw your photojournal of the WTO week, some great pictures there! How did your reports in Pinoy Weekly go? Did you guys get a lot of space to cover events over here?

Hope to see you guys in HK again soon!

[Erika]

Rip em a new one, Pranny.