Letter from the Editor: Don't accuse us of doctoring photos just because an image challenges your beliefs
Reality check: That's a real photo of real people at a real place.
Truth, Lies, and Social Media: A Crisis of Trust
Who knew that the concept "telling the truth is important" could be so polarizing?
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, in our current American culture, that strong and divided responses would be provoked by my column last week criticizing Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson for intentionally lying in a press conference to set a trap for a suspect.
"Come on John, put on your big boy pants," wrote JC, one of many readers who said the ends DO justify the means. "This has been a tactic by law enforcement for a long time to mislead criminals into complacency. I have no problem with the sheriff lying, knowing why he did it."
Others agreed with me on what is at stake: "Thank you, Mr. Hiner, for your editorial today on the need for truth," said Alan. "It's the greatest casualty of the times we live in that so few seem to care about. We're drowning in untruth and yet refuse to let go of lies we agree with that are pulling us under."
You may wonder why I am returning to this topic. First, it's because of something Alan said – how pervasive and damaging lies are, and how frequently they take root and grow across social media. Second, it's because I have a very recent and very disturbing example of this effect.
MLive and other major media outlets covered the visit of Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 7.
On Sunday, former President and GOP nominee Donald Trump took to social media to declare the images of a large crowd were "fake" and "There was nobody there!" Others picked up Trump's cries and questioned MLive's photos of the event on social media posts.
MLive had four journalists there. They are real, living people, as were the 15,000 or so other bodies that were jammed into and around a hangar. We have it documented in photos and videos, as do other media that were there.
"By 4:30 there were huge amounts of people, a pretty intense crowd," said Santino Mattioli, a videographer for MLive. "People were fainting from the heat. It was hot in there, and there were a lot of people crammed in. It was hard to interview people because it was so thick."
Yet Trump's assertions provoked a torrent of similar accusations on MLive's social media posts. Some said the photos and videos were doctored; others accused media of using artificial intelligence to create the crowd images.
This isn't "whining" from a "high horse" journalist, as several readers accused me of after my column last week. This is a stark and fundamental schism we have, both with the truth and with trust in the people whose job it is to seek and report it.
"It's ludicrous. I mean, we simply don't do that," said J. Scott Park, photo editor for MLive. "I find it insulting to be accused, as a legitimate news organization, of doctoring a picture. I would expect you'd fire me the same day if you found out I had done that."
You wouldn't board an airplane if you didn't trust the pilot to use his training to the best of his ability. You wouldn't agree to surgery if you didn't believe the doctor had the right intentions to mend you.
Yet somehow in America, a great percentage of people – likely people who already are convinced of something – want to believe that people who devote their life to accurate reporting and depictions of news events are trying to trick them.
"I got into (photojournalism) because I didn't think people would write off a photograph," said Jacob Hamilton, multimedia specialist for The Ann Arbor News who worked the Harris rally. "Now it seems people are really resistant to confronting things that conflict with their beliefs."
What's frustrating to our journalists who are embedded in their communities is that they bring their professional integrity to EVERY assignment.
"Yes, we cover presidential candidates when they come here, but we also cover your kids' proms, your kids' high school football games, your community events, your fairs," said Park. "So, we're doctoring the photos of your kids' prom, too?"
Here's where I land on it: If you don't believe what you are reading in MLive or in our eight newspapers, then you have shut off the part of your mind that wants to see what everyone in the real world is seeing. Yes, a story or photo may be the perspective of one reporter or one visual journalist from one vantage point, but that's all we are afforded: One perspective, in the moment, based in truth.
And if you don't want to be a part of that community, then please do not offend our journalists by spreading your lies and conspiracy theories on social media platforms.
John Hiner is president of MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editormlive.com.
Who knew that the concept "telling the truth is important" could be so polarizing?
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, in our current American culture, that strong and divided responses would be provoked by my column last week criticizing Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson for intentionally lying in a press conference to set a trap for a suspect.
"Come on John, put on your big boy pants," wrote JC, one of many readers who said the ends DO justify the means. "This has been a tactic by law enforcement for a long time to mislead criminals into complacency. I have no problem with the sheriff lying, knowing why he did it."
Others agreed with me on what is at stake: "Thank you, Mr. Hiner, for your editorial today on the need for truth," said Alan. "It's the greatest casualty of the times we live in that so few seem to care about. We're drowning in untruth and yet refuse to let go of lies we agree with that are pulling us under."
You may wonder why I am returning to this topic. First, it's because of something Alan said – how pervasive and damaging lies are, and how frequently they take root and grow across social media. Second, it's because I have a very recent and very disturbing example of this effect.
MLive and other major media outlets covered the visit of Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 7.
On Sunday, former President and GOP nominee Donald Trump took to social media to declare the images of a large crowd were "fake" and "There was nobody there!" Others picked up Trump's cries and questioned MLive's photos of the event on social media posts.
MLive had four journalists there. They are real, living people, as were the 15,000 or so other bodies that were jammed into and around a hangar. We have it documented in photos and videos, as do other media that were there.
"By 4:30 there were huge amounts of people, a pretty intense crowd," said Santino Mattioli, a videographer for MLive. "People were fainting from the heat. It was hot in there, and there were a lot of people crammed in. It was hard to interview people because it was so thick."
Yet Trump's assertions provoked a torrent of similar accusations on MLive's social media posts. Some said the photos and videos were doctored; others accused media of using artificial intelligence to create the crowd images.
This isn't "whining" from a "high horse" journalist, as several readers accused me of after my column last week. This is a stark and fundamental schism we have, both with the truth and with trust in the people whose job it is to seek and report it.
"It's ludicrous. I mean, we simply don't do that," said J. Scott Park, photo editor for MLive. "I find it insulting to be accused, as a legitimate news organization, of doctoring a picture. I would expect you'd fire me the same day if you found out I had done that."
You wouldn't board an airplane if you didn't trust the pilot to use his training to the best of his ability. You wouldn't agree to surgery if you didn't believe the doctor had the right intentions to mend you.
Yet somehow in America, a great percentage of people – likely people who already are convinced of something – want to believe that people who devote their life to accurate reporting and depictions of news events are trying to trick them.
"I got into (photojournalism) because I didn't think people would write off a photograph," said Jacob Hamilton, multimedia specialist for The Ann Arbor News who worked the Harris rally. "Now it seems people are really resistant to confronting things that conflict with their beliefs."
What's frustrating to our journalists who are embedded in their communities is that they bring their professional integrity to EVERY assignment.
"Yes, we cover presidential candidates when they come here, but we also cover your kids' proms, your kids' high school football games, your community events, your fairs," said Park. "So, we're doctoring the photos of your kids' prom, too?"
Here's where I land on it: If you don't believe what you are reading in MLive or in our eight newspapers, then you have shut off the part of your mind that wants to see what everyone in the real world is seeing. Yes, a story or photo may be the perspective of one reporter or one visual journalist from one vantage point, but that's all we are afforded: One perspective, in the moment, based in truth.
And if you don't want to be a part of that community, then please do not offend our journalists by spreading your lies and conspiracy theories on social media platforms.
John Hiner is president of MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editormlive.com.