Not A Mystery

We always get a kick out of subliminal editorializing in news articles thru the use of photos.

And in this case Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal really has set a new (low) standard in their coverage of the recent Governors Conference.

It appears to me that the WSJ editorial staff selected this picture of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Gov. David Paterson to make them look like Political Caricatures that were drawn by Robert Crumb for an issue of Zap Comix.

This Picture Was Picked To Convey A Message

Of course the WSJ opposes Gov. Schwarzenegger because he’s a Republican that is willing to work constructively with Democrats. And Gov. Paterson is, well, a Democrat.

What surprised me is why the WSJ didn’t go ahead and just finish what they started.

But Why Not Stretch Things Just A Little More?

In the past we’ve dinged The Economist for selective use of photos to illustrate a news story; thereby making a subtle editorial statement.

The NY Times has done the same in today’s edition to have a little fun with Joe Wilson.

Out of 42 Possibles, Joe Wilson Draws The Short Straw

You may recall Joe’s 15 minutes of fame when he called President Obama a liar during a speech by the President to a joint session of Congress. Before his outburst nobody outside of South Carolina had heard of him, and since then he’s regained his previous anonymity.

Big Joes’s profile got upgraded this morning when the NY Times ran a story about a Genentech lobbyist who ghost-wrote statements for members of Congress to insert in the Congressional Record during the Health Care debate. The ghost writer was courteous enough to craft one version for the Republicans and another for the Democrats.

And it was dutifully picked up by 42 members of Congress; 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats. Who, when asked about the identical wording in their statements, promptly laid the blame on their staff people. Our Congress is a courageous lot.

And out of the 42 candidates vying to get their picture used to illustrate the story, can you guess who the Times editorial staff chose for this honor? You guessed it, Joe Wilson.

Who knows, maybe he’s the most photogenic.

Just to set the record straight, I’m not on Joe’s side, and figure he probably deserves whatever he gets. Lack of civility cuts both ways. And speaking of a lack of civility, to say nothing of basic intelligence, follow this link for an update on the real Origin of Death Panels, where Joe gets another small mention.

It’s a safe bet that this photo of Muammar Qaddafi was not taken by his official photographer.

Perhaps the Economist used this photo in their article of Military Coup Leaders to get in a dig at Colonel Qaddafi during the week that Scotland and the UK were taking heat for releasing Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, as a humanitarian gesture.

If so, it worked on me.

Bad Hair Day?