The Countdown: Day 15: Images
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words ... Even If It's Out Of Context
One of the first impressions many voters had of last Wednesday's final debate was of the facial expressions and body language of the candidates. According to political analysts, Senator Obama often looked tense; Senator McCain alternated between signs of exasperation and a fixed smile.
The day after the debate, our senior Washington editor, Ron Elving, made the point that the judgments about how the candidates looked do affect voters. He said:
"Part of the problem, of course, is what you see on television is not exactly what's happening on stage. What you see on television is often the result of either a one-shot, where they show you one of the two men without the other, and you don't really have a sense of how close anyone might be to him. And then there is the two shot, the split-screen, when you can actually watch the reactions on the face of the candidate who is not speaking. And that is a fairly interesting and sometimes devastating way to watch a debate.
I think everyone recalls who saw the 2000 debates between George Bush and Al Gore, that if you listened on radio or watched strictly the one-shots, you got one impression.
But if you saw the split-screen, you saw Al Gore rolling his eyes and looking heavenward and making a lot of other gestures that people thought were disrespectful and maybe a little bit bush league. That hurt, in that particular case Al Gore more than it hurt George Bush.
So, in the debate last night, a lot of those two-shots, those split-screens showed John McCain looking angry, showed him looking very irritated, showed him looking upset, and staring over what appeared to be the next head just inches away even though the two were seated at opposite sides of a rather large table."
Now a new photo of Senator McCain from Wednesday's debate -- a photo that became one of the most emailed and most popular on Yahoo News -- is reinvigorating the debate over what the eyes see versus what the ears hear.
Here in our office, we spent quite a bit of time working to verify the photo. Members of our show staff, political staff, and research library staff all tried to see if it was real, or a Photoshopped image.
The reality is intriguing. The image is, in fact, real ... but it is also out of context.
If you go to YouTube and look roughly at 4:30 on the time clock on this clip of the debate, you will see a VERY brief different angle on Senator McCain doing what he did in the photo.
When I say brief, I mean perhaps 3 seconds, and the gesture was clearly a quick sign that he did not know precisely where to go on stage. In the video version, he is not in any way interacting with Senator Obama, and the moment is brief and easy to miss.
(Many thanks to a member of NPR's Reference Library staff, Katie Daugert, for tracking down the moment in the video; and to Day to Day staffer Jolie Meyers for finding the original photo.)
There have also been, of course, unflattering photos of Senator Obama, but none at such a critical moment in the campaign:
So, was the photo fair game for a major news organization to distribute if it shows what was not a representative moment in the debate? That's up to the voters (and perhaps media critics) to decide.
We contacted Reuters to ask them how they made the call to send this (incredibly popular) photo out on the wires. Gary Hershorn of the Reuters photo department and communications rep Alexandra Honeysett replied to my questions by email:
1) Is it real?
Yes, the picture is real. It was taken when U.S. Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) reacted to almost heading the wrong way off the stage after shaking hands with Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) at the conclusion of the final presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, October 15, 2008. In addition to the photo, we have television film of the event that confirms Senator McCain's reaction.
2) How do you decide what pictures to run, and do questions of whether a photo might appear mocking, Photoshopped, or staged (even if it is NOT) play into your decisions?
When deciding which photos to publish from a debate or any event, we look for images that tell a story. Our photographers have snapped thousands of photos of both candidates along the campaign trail, and we keep balanced photo files. Inevitably, people will interpret the photos we publish according to their own beliefs, but our job is to tell, or in this case show, the story as it played out.
3) Do you find yourselves syndicating more content that is snarky, or otherwise bloggable, because people want to see it? In other words, either through push or pull, has the tone of your shooting and syndication changed?
Accurate and fair reporting standards are the pillar on which our Reuters News file stands, and our campaign coverage clearly reflects these principles. We record what we see and we have clear editorial procedures that determine what goes out on our photo wire.
I followed up with the question, "What story does this picture tell?"
And Honeysett answered:
"We leave that up to you to decide. :)
Celebrities have faced the onslaught of "gotcha" photojournalism. But there were times that the press followed a far different standard ... showing barely an unflattering shot of John F. Kennedy, or even shooting in a way that didn't show President Roosevelt used a wheelchair.
The times, they are a-changing. So, do we get a good laugh and move on; or do moments like these catch our attention ... and even change our opinion?
Farai Chideya
7:42 PM ET
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10-20-2008
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You Know What Time It Is: HBCU Homecoming Season
"'Tis the season for HBCU homecomings," writes Natalie P. McNeal for The Root :
From now through November, thousands of college alumni from historically black institutions will descend on campuses across the South.
Employers, please understand why the few African Americans at your workplace are taking Fridays off from now until November. Non-HBCU grads, please be patient with your black college friends who keep crowing about how excited they are for homecoming. They mean no harm with their college chants and incessant telling of tales from the yard.
HBCU homecomings are like a black family reunion, minus the tacky T-shirt with an oak tree on it. It's a posh celebration and mass arrival of those who feel they've arrived.
Read the rest . But in the meantime, take our poll:
What's your main focus at an HBCU homecoming football game? ( surveys )
Geoffrey Bennett
6:22 PM ET
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10-20-2008
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Terrence Howard Surprised About 'Iron Man' Recasting
It was reported last week that the summer blockbuster, Iron Man , would be filming a sequel without popular actor Terrence Howard. The role of Tony Stark's best friend, Jim Rhodes, will instead be played by Don Cheadle.
When MTV asked about the recasting , Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige responded:
"As is the policy with most people, when you talk about dotting I's and crossing T's, certainly that isn't the case yet on a number of things we're doing, but that Hollywood Reporter story was not an announcement. That was, as it tends to happen in the business, is rumors and leaks and things like that. I do think there will be clarity soon."
Well, we hope for Terrence Howard's sake that this whole mess has a happy ending. The sensitive soul sat down with NPR's Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday and discussed -- among other things -- his reaction upon hearing the Iron Man news.
"It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. The contract just ... up and vanished. I read something in the trades that implicated it was about money or something, but apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on, sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good faith negotiations aren't always held up."
Related Links:
-- Terrence Howard Talks Tunes, Family, Science
-- Watch Video of Terrence Howard on Weekend Edition Saturday
Geoffrey Gardner
5:40 PM ET
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10-20-2008
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Rudy Ray Moore aka 'Dolemite' Dies
Actor Rudy Ray Moore, creator and star of the classic Dolemite films, poses in Las Vegas, Nev., back in 2005.
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
The Website EURWeb is reporting that Rudy Ray Moore, the actor/comedian best known as Dolemite, has died.
Moore, who won fame after his role as a rhyming, kung fu pimp in the 1975 film, Dolemite , died in Akron, Ohio, at the age of 81.
Rudy Ray Moore was also known as the "king of the party records" and released many comedy records throughout the 1960s and 1970s, developing a style even more rude and explicit than contemporaries like Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. This kept him off of television and major films, but cultivated an enduring fan base.
Geoffrey Bennett
5:36 PM ET
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10-20-2008
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Who Would Round Out Obama, McCain's Cabinets?
iStockphoto.com
Inasmuch as a president is only as good as his counsel, many political watchers (and News & Notes editors) are beginning to flash forward beyond Nov. 4 -- Election Day -- and straight to Jan. 20 -- Inauguration Day. How would a President Obama or President McCain govern, and to whom would each give Cabinet positions?
Naturally, both campaigns are keeping mum on the topic -- so as not to appear presumptuous -- but the candidates and their advisers have given signals in published interviews.
First off, Sen. Barack Obama said today Gen. Colin Powell "will have a role as one of my advisers . ...Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether that's a good fit for him, is something we'd have to discuss."
John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton, is heading Obama's transition efforts.
Here's more, care of the Times Online (UK):
A host of well-known figures, including some Republicans, have indicated they would be willing to serve in some capacity as Obama begins to acquire a winner's glow. From Senator John Kerry, the 2004 presidential candidate with hopes of becoming secretary of state, to Larry Summers, a former US Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator who has been tipped as defence secretary, there are plenty who have signalled their availability.
Obama is thought likely to cherry-pick a few high-profile names, while rewarding the loyalty and discretion of advisers such as his foreign policy expert Susan Rice who have served him so well throughout the campaign.
"He has no patience whatsoever with prima donnas," said one leading Democrat policy adviser. "He's surrounded himself with people who are pretty smooth in dealing with each other."
Sen. McCain has reportedly handed his campaign's transition responsibilities to lobbyist William Timmons Sr. But McCain has also, according to another report, "instructed his team to not spend time on the transition effort ... both out of a desire to have complete focus on winning the election as well as a superstitious belief that the campaign shouldn't put the cart before the horse."
While Republicans say Timmons is making plans for the transition if McCain wins in November, the campaign wouldn't confirm his role. Timmons didn't return a phone call seeking comment.
Related: Transition Planning Gets Started Early So Candidates Can Be Prepared for National Security Threats
Geoffrey Bennett
4:49 PM ET
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10-20-2008
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