Toldeo Blade Finds 79 Altered Images – from 2007 ALONE

The Toledo Blade has published the results of their investigation into the work of former staff photographer Allan Detrich – and found that Detrich submitted 79 digitally altered images since January. Detrich had originally stated the March image from a Bluffton University baseball game that had a missing set of legs was a mistake. In their investigation the paper found other images where items had been added to photos (including a basketball and a hockey puck) as well as items and people that were removed from photos.

According to Ron Royhab, vice president and executive editor, “Honesty is the fundamental value in journalism. When a Blade reporter or photographer covers a news event, the newspaper and its readers expect an accurate record of the event.”

Don Winslow, editor of News Photographer magazine, originally brought the question up to Blade editors and has a recap on the events, as well as the examples of altered images, on the National Press Photographers Association’s web site.