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It’s a classic propaganda technique: demonise your opponent by making him appear less human. This can be done metaphorically, with words, or more intimately, with images. FOX has recently attempted this tactic and failed horribly.

FOX has been caught blatantly altering the photos of two New York Times writers. These alleged members of the so-called “Liberal Media” were defaced with elongated skulls, widened noses, yellowed teeth, and generally blurred skin. Or is that just poor ‘shopping?

Obviously, this is a pathetic and embarrassing effort by FOX’s propaganda department. The story broke on Media Matters and has also been cited on Gothamist. Photoshop Disasters is sure to pick up on it for it’s poor execution. Politics aside, shame on you, FOX.

While the images are laughable, the issue is not. Subtly altering an image can have a powerful impact on the viewers. Just think of fashion and how there is an entire multi-billion dollar industry designed to change the appearance of models with make-up, lighting, and eventually, retouching. It’s the same with products, which are photographed and retouched just like models. The famous Dove “Evolution” campaign of recent years brought this issue right into everyone’s living room.

And in the political arena it can mean the difference between winning and losing an election. Remember the Presidential Debate of 1960 where John F. Kennedy ‘won’ against Richard M. Nixon, not because he outwitted the VP, but because Nixon appeared sweaty, feverish, and with 5 o’clock shadow. More recently, Hillary’s campaign was caught altering Barack Obama’s image to make him appear more ‘black’.

Photoshop is officially a weapon of modern propaganda. The mouse, it seems, is mightier than the sword.

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