By now, almost everyone will have heard or read about the ongoing story about the photo released by the Royals of Kate Middleton and her children.
Speculation about the ‘doctored’ photo has been rife on social media following the withdrawal of the image by several large news agencies which cited various discrepancies. The Princess of Wales has since apologised for any confusion, saying she ‘occasionally experiments with photo editing’.
But what does this teach us about the photos we use and the trust they have with the public?
The rise in AI
With the steep rise in AI over the past two years, there has been an even steeper rise in misinformation, digitally altered images and AI-generated content.
The dangers of this type of content cannot be understated, from AI videos of politicians apparently saying and doing something they have not actually done, to AI-generated content being used in court. Fortunately, there are also tools which can detect doctored images and AI-generated content, although these tools are not always accurate.
Why images we use should reflect the words we are using
Images are essential when telling a story, helping to illustrate the picture painted by the article, along with helping shareability across socials and websites.
Images should be there to support what you are writing about and are evidence to your story and claim.
With all of our content creation here at R&Co, we aim to source the highest quality images whether that be for a social media post or a press release being issued to the national media, such as those used with some of our recent media hits here.
Why we should not doctor images
When we are writing stories, it is essential to remain honest throughout, including the imagery. We often need visual proof when making a claim or telling a story and, as this story has shown us, people can often tell when something has been altered.
Additionally, it only takes one altered image coming to light and it can forever tarnish reputations of being a truthful source, often leading to readers taking what you say with a pinch of salt or disregarding your content entirely.
The moral of the story is to ensure any images you are putting out with a piece of content are accurate and reflect honestly the scenario they are meant to.
Honesty and accuracy is always the best policy. After all, the old saying is ‘a picture paints a thousand words’, not a thousand-ish with a dash of photoshop!
