BOYS WILL BE BOYS – AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  For years we've been frustrated by Arab journalists Photoshopping images during Arab-Israeli clashes, always to the detriment of Israel or the U.S.  The damage is done before news organizations investigate and withdraw the offending photos.

Now an Egyptian publication has been caught red-handed.  This is one of those juicy stories we just had to report.  From Britain's Telegraph:

Egypt's state-run newspaper has been criticised after it altered a photograph to suggest President Hosni Mubarak was leading the Middle East peace talks.

The photograph, which appeared in Al-Ahram, the country’s most widely circulated newspaper, showed Mr Mubarak walking on a red carpet ahead of the US, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders.

The original image shows Barack Obama leading the way ahead of the three other leaders, with Mr Mubarak trailing behind.

It's encouraging to know that an opposition group in Egypt exposed the hoax:

The opposition 6 April Youth Movement called the newspaper "unprofessional" for publishing the manipulated image.

In a statement on its website it said: "This is what the corrupt regime's media has been reduced to."

COMMENT:  Glad you noticed, guys.  It's been going on for years.  And we wonder why the Arab world doesn't love us.  This is the level of their journalism.

Oh, but wait.  Maybe we're too harsh.  We should accept the concept that this photo is simply "an alternative narrative."  Now I feel better about myself.

September 16, 2010