(bumped with Update #2)
CBC;
We made a mistake.
The photo shows smoke billowing from stacks at the old Lakeview coal-fired generating plant in Mississauga, once said to be the world’s largest. The Ontario government called it a heavy polluter when it was shut down a couple of years ago not only because of the quantities of greenhouse gases it produced – difficult to photograph – but because of the noxious fumes and particulates that contributed to the murk obscuring downtown Toronto seen in the photo.
The stacks were demolished a few months ago but it remains a powerful image of the kind of emissions the Kyoto Accord wants to limit and that is why we used it in the April 19 story on John Baird’s concerns about the “risks” of meeting Kyoto.
(Did you catch the scare quotes on the word “risks”?)
It was the right photo, but not the right version.
CBC.ca uses images in number of ways: It is our policy not to alter those accompanying news stories and depicting actual events or people. Those used as graphics in promos or to illustrate feature stories, columns or the like may be changed in minor ways – slightly heightened contrast, different colour filter, slight cropping – to enhance their visual impact and appeal.
In this case, the original image was treated with a “warming filter,” which gave it the sepia tone, and cropped slightly to use as a graphic image. Fair enough, except it was – mistakenly – dropped in a file accessible for use with news stories and subsequently posted with the Baird story.
It was an inadvertent error, but I should also point out that the “dramatically different” versions the blogger found are, in fact, exactly the same photograph both showing exactly the same thing – emissions from an acknowledged heavy polluter. There was no “misrepresentation” and no attempt to mislead.
That’s the copy from the main page at Insidethecbc.com. Inexplicably, clicking on the permalink and comments brings up a blank page. (Note: This one works.)
Well, who to believe? The CBC or my own lyin’ eyes?
Of course they’re the “same photograph”. That was the rather the point – the question was why the photo was run through such a “warming filter” in the first place. I know what it took for me to run the original through the GIMP to approximate the change. This was (quite obviously) no mere bump in contrast.
And if the CBC felt that “warming” the photo was an acceptable alteration, then my question is this – was the blue-toned version that has appeared at least 3 times on their website just a different, enhanced version of the original?
Original post here.
| Tod Maffin at Inside the CBC – “I know CBC.ca executives are discussing this particular issue today. I expect to hear from them soon about it.” |
 |
I’m sure, if the CBC were to post a story about their senior editors, they would be happy to use a photo of Larry, Curly and Moe wearing suits…after all, the picture would only be “…used as graphics in promos or to illustrate feature stories, columns or the like…”, right? Sure!
Ha, the CBC blog is off line.
Saved a screen shot at http://www.tomax7.com/comedy/cbc-blog.htm
Link at national newswatch to Inside the CBC gives:
Site offline.
???????
that would be a global warming filter not just one of those off the shelf 52mm ones I suppose.
“hoist on their own retard” again.
CBCpravda, will Stephen not rid of these tax stealing vermin?
I bid a dollar for one of there cameras.
kate.ca is a CBCphile. LOLOL …
At the beginning of the long dash, following ten seconds of silence the time will be exactly: Bedtime for Inside the CBC.
File under: Stuck on ssssstewpid.
Goonight, Peter. Shalom.
…-
Inside the CBC – a public blog for CBC employees
inside the cbc
Tod Maffin is writing/editing “Inside the CBC”, a blog for CBC employees that is open to the public. From the About page:
I don’t get leaked any advance CBC information or participate in any pre-announcement strategy meetings or anything like that. Likewise, I don’t tell them in advance what gets posted here or how. They don’t get an opportunity to review or edit or veto anything. They read what I write the same time you do. I suppose if push came to shove and they told me to take something down or edit it, I would. But having been working with these folks now for a month in beta, I can’t imagine that kind of scenario. In the end, we’re all working toward opening up communication at the CBC — a good goal.
I find this quite fascinating. Really, a blog for CBC employees that’s open to the public? I love the blog, but I find the positioning a little strange. Why not just say it’s an inside look at the CBC, full stop?
In any case, it’s pretty neat. Tod is a great writer and posts all kinds of tidbits that will be of interest to CBCphiles like myself. …-
http://www.mynameiskate.ca/2006/06/inside_the_cbc_.html
The CBC blog comments were almost all severely critical of the CBC, stating that it was misinforming the public, and was deliberately manipulating its content to function as propaganda. The CBC, like all socialist institutions, rejects criticism.
Tried the link as well , doesn’t work . I do however have complete confidence the CBC will retract these obviously ” Fake but accurate ” photo’s sometime really , really soon ….. apparently the correction is going to run under the tide schedules in the Hobema Times Daily , just before the Bingo results ….stand by for updates …developing …..
here we go again, CBCpravda “All Khadr , All the time”
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/04/24/khadr-charges.html
It would give Pansbridge a “Depends experience” if this POS pleaded guilty. and a whole lot of liberal lawyers a chance to try to jump on the dole and appeal.Can wait to see the whole welfare group of Mama Khadr and the sisters wailing on the news tonight from their cozy taxpayer funded
hideout in the burbs.
Tod asks: “Would love to know what you and your readers think.”
I think the CBC should be HISTORY, as in CLOSED.
Then all the scum at the cbc can go get real jobs.
“Fake, but accurate” pretty well descibes the photo.
Has anyone seen, the Green Helmet Guy ?
The last message before it melted down was from an obvious CBC loyalist complaining of all the trolls daring to comment on the subject. Typical elitism. Hey, I’m a shareholder, my dear!
My bad, that should be describes.
As TV news consumers, Canadian should pay close attention to every TV newscast on global warming or “climate change items.”
CBC, CTV, Global all follow the same pattern,
Virtually every oil sands story will show multiple stacks belching, as the narration takes place.
Sear that into the viewers brain.
Smoke belching from the oil industry, polar bears dying from heat prostration and starvation.
Y2K replay in spades, eat it up folks, courtesy Suzuki, Gore and MSM.
Agree Joe Molnar and as Reid said at 4:25, these images are “ an intentional misrepresentation of the facts in order to promote an agenda.”
TV generally has become a medium to stir emotions. The left has been reduced to emotion because their message won’t hold up to scrutiny. They now rely on TV’s emotion which has no interest in the digging for facts or the hard work it takes distil the truth.
I’ve also noticed CTV on Duffy shows a dramatic scene of a glacier calving whenever global warming is mentioned. But calving is a very natural phenomenon as the glaciers flow down from the mountains. I’ve seen that happen, it’s a beautiful scene.
But I’ve also seen people watching calving say in a panicky way “see, see, global warming’. However, ice melts when we aren’t in an ice age. It also replaces itself at the top of the glacier even when we aren’t in an ice age.
If we are to consider keeping the CBC taxpayer supported Crown Corporation it has to change it’s raison d’être from being a place to employ utopians to being a non-commercially motivated media outlet whose mission is to provide Canadians with “just the facts ma’am .”
If the CBC has become too inbred to change , then privatize it , I don’t want to subsidize distortions any longer.
I’ve kept a screen shot as well and posted it for posterity[click my name.]
The CBC really knows how to manage problems. It’s a non-denial denial.
They’ll be more!
This whole CBC Photoshop kerfuffle reminds me of when Hezbollah got caught doing the same thing last summer. Only then it was added smoke; now it is white clouds of (mostly) water vapor tricked up to look like smoke. Question is, did CBC pick some Hezbollah Photoshop technicians, or are they just using the usual suspects? Maybe Tod knows?
(Pssst! Pass it on, Steve is going to sell the Ceeb to Fox News! Part of the Hidden Agenda, doncha know.)
Seems that CBC didn’t like the heat they were taking.
And now that the comments, still ending with CBC loyalist comments, are up again, I see that my comment (posted under a different name) isn’t there. Funny, it was there when I previewed and posted it this afternoon. Although I couldn’t see it or any replies to it during the afternoon as the site was, mysteriously, down. Time to check the wayback machine, I guess. Or Google cache. (Before they’re wiped, that is, and much more effectively than Ms Crow’s attempts, I’d opine.)
Sounds like a case of false advertizing. Only much more serious. Kinsella could make a bundle.
…yeah andy, mine is gone too. Wasn’t thinking, should have done a screen shot of it, but was totally amazed it did get posted. Wasn’t being a jerk or anything, but asked them of a certain female CBC reporter.
Google cache of the page…
http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidethecbc.com%2Fpolicies%2Fnews%2Fkyotoshopped%2F&ei=UTF-8&vst=0&vs=www.insidethecbc.com&u=www.insidethecbc.com/policies/news/kyotoshopped/&d=KRPdjfmdOqsU&icp=1&.intl=us
…whoops meant Yahoo’s cache, didn’t mean to offend
😉
Time to wind down this expensive anachronism – toss the Librano apparachniks into the street. I don’t want to pay for this crap a day longer.
I so hate that I am forced to pay for it when I can longer bear to watch it without arguing with my TV.
“That was the rather the point – the question was why the photo was run through such a “warming filter” in the first place.”
Maybe because nobody wants images that are always blue because of the ultraviolet present in the light? Are we banning polarizing filters next?
“We made a mistake”, CBC admits.
And then went on to incriminate themselves.
“It is our policy not to alter those(images) accompanying news stories”.
[So why does the CBC blantantly break it’s own policies ? Liable]
“(images)May be changed in minor ways to enhance their visual impact and appeal”.
[A picture is worth a thousand words. A thousand lies. Liable]
“It(fake photo) was – mistakenly – dropped into a news story.”
[A thousand words was taken out of context. Liable.]
So, CBC, what percentage of your so-called “news stories” are “enhanced” ? Lies ? All of them ??
Same thing with “anonymous sources ?? Fictional ??
Further comment about applying filters digitally. There are two concerns about using filters when creating an image:
1) Depending on the type and strength of the filter, you will lose up to two stops of light. This is a concern in low light conditions where you don’t have a tripod and you’re concerned about camera shake.
2) Unless you’re shooting with very high end filters (Singh-Ray), you will lose some optical quality by adding a filter to your lens. You can get exactly the same effect in most cases by applying the filter digitally instead, but without sacrificing optical quality.
Adding a filter digitally is not a big deal to me, and is usually more sensible than laying out a lot of cash for unnecessary glass. I’m saying this as someone who has supplied images for editorial use.
This is a non issue.
Wow! There must be some big money driving this “lets sell out our production workers” agenda that we call Kyoto.
What a pitiful excuse. This almost sounds as plausible as the dog developed my pictures and I published them by mistake. I used to like the CBC but I used to like Castro. One day I grew up. I don’t think they have it in them.
My comment was posted in the “apology” second posting, tomax7, and not on the first posting that your Yahoo cache search found. Using both Google and your Yahoo page linked, above, for the second posting I get the equivalent of “page does not exist”.
http://www.insidethecbc.com/policies/news/photoshop2/print
That’s the URL that I tried to find searching for my polite (although ironic) comment. (Maybe try deleting the “/print” from the end of the URL too? I did and still got the same missing results, but I’m no IT expert.)
Sean, look out! The point, the point! Oh, sorry, you missed it. Better luck next time.
The comment that I had posted on the CBC site, pointing out that they were manipulating the public, was up for a short time – and now, has disappeared. It seems that the CBC has edited the comments (a la Garth Turner?) and removed ones that did not simply comment on the mechanical aspects, eg, on spatial and colour problems but commented on the integrity of the CBC.
ET ,
Double chug violation for using CBC and INTEGRITY in the same sentence . Consume now , heathen!
The picture should be shown by the SEEBEESEE in its original without cropping and without any filters. Thought it was likely snapped through a filter in the first place for dramatic effect. Don’t know from what direction the picture was taken, it seems that the smoke clouds are closer than the tower, though you can see the top of the tower in the smoke. It is somewhat curious. Or maybe not.
What? I was banned from that site! I made a comment but they didn’t like it. Bawwwaaahhh.
DOES ANYONE HERE THINK THIS IS THE ONLY CASE OF CBC DOING A REUTERS?
Seriously, some folks ought to get together and monitor CBC, on air and online. I personally doubt that this is an isolated incident?
Comments?
“Sean, look out! The point, the point! Oh, sorry, you missed it. Better luck next time.”
The point that I’m making — as someone who sells images on a professional basis — is that the use of a digitally applied warming filter is not a big deal. If you had a better understanding of photography (and it’s obvious that you don’t) you wouldn’t be freaking out over this.
For chrissakes folks — there aren’t enough examples of obvious bias at the CBC to complain about that we have to start manufacturing them?
“It is our policy not to alter those(images) accompanying news stories”
When news agencies talk about altering, they’re talking about “pixel pushing”. That’s moving elements of an image around. The image linked to below is an example of pixel pushing (note the cow that moved):
http://www.urbanrefugee.ca/example03.php
That kind of change in an editorial image is absolutely verbotten.
On the other hand, fixing lighting problems, removing sensor dust spots, and colour cast corrections are entirely acceptable:
http://www.urbanrefugee.ca/example02.php
http://www.urbanrefugee.ca/example05.php
Increasing the colour saturation is also acceptable. Most digital images that are shot in RAW format are rather flat looking, and you need to bump up the colour to get a result that approximates reality.
someone already does try cbcwatch.ca
Hams right sean you dont get it. Its not about the tech of it, its about the LIES and BS
The original Kyoto photo the CBC used is fake too. That smoke is polluting just a little too perfectly isn’t it? And the bright streak of blue in it? I’d say the darkening was in fact the second round of photoshopping on this pic.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/images/top-kyoto.jpg
CBC states: “The stacks were demolished a few months ago but it remains a powerful image of the kind of emissions the Kyoto Accord” . . . I think the problem here is that this is precisely NOT what the Kyoto Accord targets — the Kyoto Accord focusses on innocuous CO2 while offering a completely ineffective solution to actual pollution. Kyoto is a pretend solution. I have concerns that the CBC has done very little to explain the reality of the Kyoto Accord. Here is a very fine assessment of the actual situation: http://www.cps.org.uk/cpsfile.asp?id=641 and a good place for the CBC to get started should it seriously wish to treat the issue objectively.
Bill’s right: “Get off your computers and get a life.” — I am missing Trailer Park Boys — time to switch gears.
I am always posting late at nite, so I am not sure if anyone reads my posts. For what it’s worth, here is a CBC story I heard not long ago — it’s an old story, but it typifies what exactly is wrong with the CBC. I ran into a guy who used to sell advertising for the various media outlets in Ottawa — radio and TV. One of the broadcasters was poised to get “The Fugitive” (Richard Jantzen, one armed man,etc. if anyone remembers — very popular show). They were REALLY excited because they were going to get great advertising for this one. At the 11th hour, the CBC came in, outbid the original group and they got the show — THEN — they buried it (like 11:30 at nite or some such). In other words, CBC just wanted to squelch the free-market competition . . . they screwed the private sector on our dime. The most important thing is, I do not believe they have changed at all.
Kate
Congratulations and thanks for your continuing exposure of the CBC’s dishonest reporting.
It’s a damn shame that “CBC Watch” is so damn user- unfriendly. They really should give up the name to you so that all of us CBC haters would have a home where we could bring their daily leftwing spin and lies to the attention of each other.
And still those idiots will go around in their private jets and spew all that CO2 into the air and the KYOTO TREATY is nothing more then a nafarious plan by unscruplious persons eco-freaks and others to control our lives in fact the U.S. Senate did,nt ratifi it its time to put this KYOTO TREATY into the paper shredder
It appears that the CBC managed to brainwash the Cons:
“Tories flip flop to support Kyoto motion”
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/206712
As a resident of Toronto for the past 16 years, all I can say, is: Eat my shorts!
Would I personally recommend anybody moving here to Toronto: No.
“news” in sepia tones? hmmm…..
my days of watching the CBC and believing any of it are so far in the past… The last time I saw anything with “integrity” on the CBC would be when Bobby Orr was still playing.
it really has been that long ago.
Hi everyone,
I’m not sure why the comments/single-page isn’t working on the blog. (It’s not just that one story about the photo; if you check, you’ll see it affects every link.)
Any WordPress gurus out there? Looks like I have a sleepless night ahead of me trying to figure this out.
Now I know why CBC won’t give me the root password. 😉
Tod
CBC blogger
an inconvenient money laundry.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070424/china_environment_070424/20070424?hub=SciTech
Seems the point is missed.
A proper photo for the article would be a picture of the speaker for a news outlet. Nothing more, nothing less.
Dosen’t matter how they did it, it’s the 21st fringen century and we can make anything visually. What matters is that a state run news outlet is attempting to influance a story.
A picture of CAW workers standing at the food bank accross the street from the GM plant in whitby plastered with closed signs would in their view also be appropriate for this story.
Media is good, now just do your fg jobs and start working for a living and find real news and “report” back what you find damnit.