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BP Caught Photoshopping Disaster Response Photos

An anonymous reader tipped a post up on Americablog revealing that BP Photoshopped a fake photo of their crisis command center and posted it on their main site. The blogger commented, "I guess if you're doing fake crisis response, you might as well fake a photo of the crisis response center." While this story was just being picked up by the Washington Post, an Americablog reader spotted another doctored BP photo on their website, this time of a "top kill" working group. How many others?

26 of 560 comments (clear)

  1. Who cares by richy+freeway · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Really, who cares? They photoshopped an image for aesthetic reasons, big deal. If you don't believe what's going on you can watch the streams yourself.

    http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=9034366&contentId=7063636

    1. Re:Who cares by Teun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      it's not like BP submitted these in court to prove that they were trying their bestest to stem the leak.

      It's called the court of Public Opinion and it's unforgiving.

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    2. Re:Who cares by c6gunner · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, I'm pretty sure they work for the Illuminati. I'm pretty sure a corporation like BP wouldn't allow lowly masons amongst it's ranks. Their reptilian overlords would shit a brick.

    3. Re:Who cares by bwalling · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's called the court of Public Opinion and it's unforgiving.

      The court of public opinion is downright foolish. We're all pissed about the oil spill after we chanted "drill, baby, drill" and keep driving around in our SUVs with no passengers.

    4. Re:Who cares by flosofl · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There are at least a couple of Freemasonry orders where you as part of the rites of ascending in rank have to sacrifice a live animal.

      Yeah... unless you can back that one up, I'm going to have to call bullshit on that.

      --
      "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
    5. Re:Who cares by jandersen · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The court of public opinion has decided that oil = bad

      Which may not be such a bad thing, in a sense. The world really, seriously needs to get off its oil-addiction, and I don't think people will be willing to give up the convenience of cheap energy unless it somehow becomes a massively uncool things to use oil in the public imagination.

      Yes, I am fully aware that this is not "fair" - since when has that mattered? Fairness has never been the watch word in the world of business before, so why should it be now?

  2. So the story is... by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "BP Removes reflection of camera flash from meaningless publicity photo! UPDATE: Twice!"

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    1. Re:So the story is... by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What kind of flash reflection removal leaves polygonal white outline around someone's head?

      Have one look at the analysis. This is not "this photo has been processed through photoshop before publication". This is a blatant failure of combining various photos into one picture and trying to make them look good. I bet screens full of tables, log displays and emails were deemed not attractive enough and got replaced with colorful photos of most photogenic locations of the disaster.

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  3. OMG!!!! NOES11111 by theolein · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you have to find fault with BP, find fault with things they really messed up, of which there are many, but not a photo retouched for aesthetic reasons.

    1. Re:OMG!!!! NOES11111 by protodevilin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      BP's credibility as a responsible energy corporation is at stake, and this photo indeed was intended to be a demonstration of BP's response to the oil disaster. Knowing that they'd go to such lengths (albeit haphazardly) to doctor--and subsequently lie about--the photos further damages that credibility. Oil spills are bad, but misinformation about them is no less destructive.

  4. More BP news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Make sure you shake them down real good. Know you, bankrupt them or something. Just don't come crying to me when you wake up and realise a good 38 or 39% of BP is US owned, despite the apparent 'anti British feeling' this whole thing is riding upon. As far as the media are concerned, it's fighting the redcoats all over again... except in actuality, you're shooting yourself

    1. Re:More BP news... by Burb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Absolutely! The oil spill is bad enough, and there's no point pretending otherwise, but I find the anti-British sentiment that accompanies it unbelievably distasteful. As we say in football (soccer), play the ball, not the man! Deal with the issues, of course. It doesn't matter who owns BP; they and the company should be held to account without regard to their nationality.

      --

  5. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by captainpanic · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is just an attempt to get more hits on that shitty blog. These images are just filler material for purely aesthetic purposes, it's not like BP submitted these in court to prove that they were trying their bestest to stem the leak.

    So, as long as it's not in court, a company can tell lies... because most stories they tell about their products and business model are in the media basically for aesthetic purposes.

    In fact, commercials too are all about aesthetics.

    The point is that BP have done an awful lot of things for "aesthetic purposes" lately. Like changing a few numbers (flow of oil) in the media. Like predicting when it'd all be solved. Like saying that oil isn't dangerous.

    It's easy to do "aesthetics" if you have billions of profit to keep the logo looking green.

  6. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by Richard_at_work · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, as long as it's not in court, a company can tell lies... because most stories they tell about their products and business model are in the media basically for aesthetic purposes.

    Ever seen a woman wear makeup...?

  7. Re:The Story here... by fluch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III is from around 2007 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS-1Ds_Mark_III). So if this info is correct then 2001-03-06 is wrong.

  8. Humanity cares by BonquiquiShiquavius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reason this story is newsworthy is because humanity in general hates liars. Call it what you will...spin, doctoring, touching up for "aesthetic reasons", etc...it's a variation from the truth.

    That being said, I agree there's a boundary where nobody cares anymore whether it's real or not - e.g. if a cover girl's photo is severely doctored to conform to the beauty standard of the times. Why? Because it's bubblegum pop news.

    BP on the other hand is not only front page news, it's currently the antagonist in what will be recorded as one of the worst environmental disasters of the 21st century. History will forget that People Magazine's cover of Britney Spears makes it look like she's a D cup instead of a B cup*, but it won't forget that BP downgraded the seriousness of the situation at every available opportunity.


    *This is a purely fictional example...I have no idea of what magazines splashed Britney Spears' cleavage all over their front page, and what her actual vs depicted dimensions are...all I care is that she appears to be popping out of any garment they squeeze her into.

    1. Re:Humanity cares by rufty_tufty · · Score: 4, Insightful

      it's currently the antagonist in what will be recorded as one of the worst environmental disasters of the 21st century.

      There's an awful lot of 21st Century left yet, not sure I'd make that statement quite yet.

      --
      "The weirdest thing about a mind, is that every answer that you find, is the basis of a brand new cliche" -
    2. Re:Humanity cares by JasterBobaMereel · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The 21st Century is less than 10 years old , but Century sounds worse than Decade aesthetically

      I suspect that Oil wells burning in Kuwait, or the small matter of the Chernobyl disaster might have been worse environmental disasters, but they are so last century, and did not affect the USA so they don't count ....

      --
      Puteulanus fenestra mortis
  9. The meaning of PR by Battal+Boy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is what PR means today: putting up the appearance of doing something seems to be more important than actually doing it. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing nothing but such manipulation (under the name of PR) means that there is a large disconnect between image and content that can only raise questions...

    --

    A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist...
  10. Re:What's the fuss by kestasjk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because everyone sets the times on their cameras

    --
    // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
  11. Photoediting by markdavis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I really wish people would stop using the term "Photoshopping". There are dozens of programs that can edit photos in such ways. I mean, we don't call it "Gimping", for example.

    I suggest the term "photoediting".... or even just "editing"...

    "BP Caught Photoediting Disaster Response Photos"
    "BP Caught Editing Disaster Response Photos"

    I know, "good luck with that"

  12. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, as long as it's not in court, a company can tell lies... because most stories they tell about their products and business model are in the media basically for aesthetic purposes.

    In fact, commercials too are all about aesthetics.

    The point is that BP have done an awful lot of things for "aesthetic purposes" lately. Like changing a few numbers (flow of oil) in the media. Like predicting when it'd all be solved. Like saying that oil isn't dangerous.

    It's easy to do "aesthetics" if you have billions of profit to keep the logo looking green.

    How the hell is this modded insightful?

    a) They didn't give the flow number, that was your very own coast guard that gave the wildly wrong estimate.
    b) From the very beginning they started drilling relief wells, from the very beginning they said it would be mid august before they are ready, from the very beginning they said this will be the final solution and they will simply attempt all sorts of other methods of stopping the flow in the meantime.
    c) {citation needed} and not just some shitty blog either, every single press release from BP is available in full on their website. Show me where BP has officially said oil isn't that dangerous.

    Call it what it is, It's marketing. Everyone does it. I'm more disgusted that Microsoft photoshopped out black guy on their polish website. These pictures are just another crap job rather than some stupid conspiracy.

  13. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Insightful

    More importantly, ever wake up next to her the next morning and seen the reality of the same face without makeup?

    Yes, and it's been my experience that no amount of makeup will make an ugly woman look good. Ever notice how morbidly obese women wear tons of makeup as if it will cover up the fact that they're fat?

    Makeup will nake a good looking woman look better, and then only if it's applied right. Makeup won't help an ugly chick at all.

    Now, your being drunk will make an ugly woman look good, that's when you wake up sober the next morning and say "OMFG!!!!!! WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!?" But that's your bad, not hers.

  14. Re:Speaking as a Brit... by Bemopolis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because if we were to publicly attack Halliburton, they might start charging us more to run the wars that we started for their benefit.

    --
    "I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
  15. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by gorzek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've seen my share of women whose makeup makes them look worse than they would without it.

    Though I know there are no girls on Slashdot, here's a tip: if I can tell you're wearing makeup, you have already failed. Proper makeup application enhances beauty, it doesn't attempt to replace it.

  16. Re:Who cares?? Well, I care! by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, and it's been my experience that no amount of makeup will make an ugly woman look good. Ever notice how morbidly obese women wear tons of makeup as if it will cover up the fact that they're fat?

    I'll go you one better. I just got back from my 20th high school reunion. The girls who were nice and fun to be around in high school were - without exception - attractive and young-looking. Some had, um, eaten well, but they were still pretty and had contagious smiles.

    The girls who were spiteful and snotty in high school were - without exception - unattractive and worn. Some had nice figures but their faces where creased with scowl lines and crows feet.

    Lesson learned: "good personality" is a much better makeup than anything you can buy in a store. It lasts a lot longer.

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?