Potemkin Presidency

Why leave the news to chance?

Photogs Slam White House Use of Staged Pictures

NEW YORK-- White House photographers aren't looking for a handout these days. In fact, they've gotten far too many.

While the practice of providing news organizations with staged photos of events involving the president goes back decades, veteran shooters at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue say it has become almost a regular occurrence with the Bush Administration. A review of Associated Press archives found that during the entire eight years of the Clinton administration, only 100 handout photos of events were released to the press. During the first five years of Bush's presidency, more than 500 have been distributed.

The key is that each of these events was closed to news photographers.

"They average about two per week," said Susan Walsh, an AP photojournalist and president of the White House News Photographers Association, after directing that review. "The White House staff photographer's role is to document the president. They have now crossed the line and become public relations photographers for the administration."

She added: "I don't know the rationale behind it, but there are [handout] events that could clearly include press coverage. The problem with the [photo] releases is that they are often of events that could accommodate press coverage and that previous administrations had allowed press to cover."

Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan did not return several calls seeking comment.

Were the photos anything like this?

Much-publicized photo purporting to show the storming of the Winter Palace, October 1917. It is in fact from a Bolshevik re-enactment staged as a civic spectacle on the third anniversary of the action. The actual fighting at the Palace took place at night and there were no cameras present.

Or this?


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