Complaint
A reader of this online report complained that the photograph illustrating it, which appeared to show a turtle entangled with a plastic bag, was in fact a composite image, not a photograph of an actual event.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The photograph (which had been taken from the creative, rather than the editorial, section of Getty Images) was indeed a composite, the plastic bag having been superimposed on the image of a turtle.聽 The 大象传媒 would expect that, in most circumstances, photographs illustrating online reports which look as if they depict an actual occurrence will be authentic, and that it should be made clear to readers if they have been altered in any significant way. To the extent that this did not happen on this occasion, the ECU agreed there was a breach of 大象传媒 standards on accuracy (even though readers would not have been misled as to the possible impact of plastic waste on marine life).聽 However, the ECU considered that the action taken by 大象传媒 News in response to the complaint, which consisted of replacing the image with a similar but authentic one and adding and explanatory note to the article, was sufficient to resolve the issue of complaint.
Resolved