What is it about pictures that prompts journalists, activists, and social media users to take liberties with people's privacy, lives and destinies, and be sloppy in what they publish?
Can the race for scoops, scandals, clicks and ratings be the undoing of proper verification, accuracy, fairness and balance?
Sadly, and increasingly, yes.
A case in point is Egyptian daily Al Youm Al Sabeh (The Seventh Day) that published a Reuters item about the death of former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and used a photo of Ghassan Tueni, the "dean of Lebanese journalists," who passed away in June 2012.
Photo of faulty picture choice
Perhaps an innocent mistake, but a major journalistic blunder.
Lebanese daily Annahar that Tueni headed for decades went the extra mile in its online edition when one of its reporters published a picture and brief story on a same-sex wedding party she insisted she had witnessed at a mountain resort.
Civil marriage is discouraged and not recognized by religious leaders in Lebanon and same-sex marriage is out of the question since homosexuality is considered a crime under Lebanese law.
The next thing I knew, Annahar pulled the piece on the two men and published a clarification and apology stating she had made up the story, undermined professional standards, and besmirched the newspaper.
Screen shot of Annahar's clarification and apology
Both the reporter and paper declined to comment on the incident which I learned involved potential litigation, notably since later reports said one of the two men in the infamous picture was actually the best man at the other's marriage to a woman.
The reactions from readers were unequivocal: sack the reporter who shouldn't have posted pictures from a private wedding - regardless of who was getting married.
Not long after that, the news website of MTV Lebanon published a picture under the headline "Gay Marriage in Egypt...What Was the Reaction?"
Screen shot of reported gay marriage in Egypt
A video of the ceremony aboard a Nile boat went viral on social media, leading to an investigation by police in Egypt where homosexuality is also considered illegal and immoral.
Eight defendants in the case were later sentenced to three years in prison on charges of homosexuality and offending public morals, according to Egyptian media.
When news also went viral of entertainer Robin Williams' suicide in August 2014, media and citizen journalists worldwide were all over the map reporting it -- many in very poor taste.
A day later Lebanon's Future TV's website upped the ante by showing a photo purportedly of Williams' corpse with the mark of the belt he used to hang himself around his neck, which several websites later said was a fake.
Screen shot of link to alleged Robin Williams suicide photo
Across two ponds, "real-time news DJ & occasional journalist, but *not* a social media guru" Andy Carvin tweeted that The Atlantic magazine had used a Reuters (again) picture of Muslim women watching an eclipse and suggested they were ISIS fan girls.
Screen shot of tweet on The Atlantic's misuse of a picture
It was later replaced by a photo of ISIS male youths.
One could list such visual abuses ad nauseum.
But I prefer to offer practical solutions.
Beirut- and Washington-based Social Media Exchange (SMEX) launched a campaign called "Taakad" (Arabic for to verify) to verify online content in Lebanon.
Taakad aims to do more than raise awareness about the verification problem by engaging both practicing journalists and citizen reporters in the fact-checking of social media news reports via a web platform called CheckDesk. The collaborative campaign, which will run through the end of November, is being conducted in English with Beirut Report and in Arabic by three Lebanese bloggers and is being supported by Meedan, the organization that created the CheckDesk software.
By modeling social media verification best practices and encouraging others to do the same, Taakad aims to minimize errors and improve accuracy in the social media content shared on news and other platforms in Lebanon.
In Amman, the Jordan Media Institute launched the portal "Akeed" (For Sure in Arabic) to monitor the media's performance and verify news content.
There are dozens of verification programs and apps to help avoid all manner of mistakes. But it's up to journalists, bloggers, activists and others to exercise good judgment and refrain from causing harm.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.