Royal Photo Fiasco Highlights Pitfalls of Image Alteration
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Veteran photographer Paul Clarke noticed inconsistencies in a royal family photo released by Kensington Palace, suggesting manipulations and use of editing software. This triggered a minor media crisis.
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News services like AP and Reuters pulled the photo due to concerns over alterations violating their ethical standards around image integrity and factual accuracy.
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The incident highlighted a clash between celebrity/fashion standards that encourage image enhancement versus journalistic values of transparency and depicting reality.
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It raised questions around Kensington Palace's PR efforts to address speculation about Catherine's absence since surgery, potentially making things worse.
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The photo debacle signals a need for the royals to rethink perfectionist imagery and be more real, according to experts.