Unreliable photo journalism - anything for a story?

[Kym]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/how-unhcr-worker-andrew-harpers-tweet-of-syrian-refugee-boy-went-viral-for-the-wrong-reason/story-fnjwnhzf-1226831244649


IT WAS a picture that broke hearts around the world. Taken by a UNHCR worker on the Syrian/Jordanian border, the picture showed a boy carrying a plastic bag looking lost, desperate and seemingly alone in the desert.
And like all amazing pictures it soon swept across the internet, but not all was not what it seemed.
As it turns out the boy, named as Marwan to protect his identity, was actually never abandoned or alone — he had simply became temporarily separated from his mother in the rush to cross the Syrian border into Jordan.
So how did this picture end up going viral?
Shortly after posting the picture taken near the Hagallat boarder crossing by Jordan’s UNHCR head Andrew Harper, it was picked up under the hashtag #syria.
CNN anchor Hala Gorani posted the picture, revealing her own heartbreak about the boy’s desperate situation.

[junqbox]

Perhaps just unreliable journalism in general, whether there's a pic, footage or not. What get's published/broadcast generally has a bigger story behind the headline which is often not told. At least in this instance, the UNHCR released the image which told the whole story.

[JM Tran]

I wouldnt say its 'unreliable', just someone jumping the gun and interpreted it differently without cross checking or waiting for confirmation.

I would use the term misled or misleading more than unreliable.

[nimrodisease]

I wouldnt say its 'unreliable', just someone jumping the gun and interpreted it differently without cross checking or waiting for confirmation.

I would use the term misled or misleading more than unreliable.
Agreed.

The guy who took and posted the photo didn't present anything particularly ambiguous. It was the CNN anchor who shared the photo and embellished the details..

The original text: Here 4 year old Marwan, who was temporarily separated from his family, is assisted by UNHCR staff to cross #Jordan
The reposted text: UN staff found 4 year-old Marwan crossing desert alone after being separated from family fleeing #Syria