Altered Photo on USAToday.com Criticized, Then Revised

By: Joe Strupp USA Today removed a digitally altered photo of Condoleezza Rice from its Web site Wednesday after several bloggers complained that it made the Secretary of State look demonic.

The Associated Press photo appeared on the USA Today Web site Oct. 19 with a story about Rice's comments that troops could remain in Iraq for up to 10 years, according to USA Today spokesman Steve Anderson. He said the photo did not appear in the newspaper itself.

"USAToday.com, like other news organizations, often adjusts photos for sharpness and brightness to optimize appearance," Anderson told E&P. He added that an online editor sharpened the photo to brighten Rice's face, but did not do so in an effort to make her look strange.

"It's considered an honest mistake and the person was not disciplined," Anderson said, declining to identify the online editor who made the change. He added that no complaints or inquiries had come from Rice's office or AP.

Although the altered photo was first posted one week ago, the newspaper did not replace it with the original version until Wednesday, Anderson said. He said the move was made after inquiries "in the hundreds" came in about the alteration, while numerous blogs also began posting comments about the situation

"It came up today," Anderson said. "Someone called me this afternoon and that's when I personally heard about it." USA Today also placed an editor's note at the top of the story explaining the changes.

"The photo of Condoleezza Rice that originally accompanied this story was altered in a manner that did not meet USA TODAY's editorial standards," the note concedes. "The photo has been replaced by a properly adjusted copy. Photos published online are routinely cropped for size and adjusted for brightness and sharpness to optimize their appearance. In this case, after sharpening the photo for clarity, the editor brightened a portion of Rice's face, giving her eyes an unnatural appearance. This resulted in a distortion of the original not in keeping with our editorial standards."

Blogger comments on the matter ranged from Michelle Malkin, who dubbed it "Demonizing Condi," to Powerlineblog.com's new movie title, "Condi: Omen III."