"Experts said the video, in which Acosta is seen rebuffing a press aide’s attempt to take a microphone out of his hands, was altered to exaggerate the aggressiveness of Acosta’s actions.
If that is the case, the video may belong in a category rarely employed by democratic governments: visual propaganda.
The White House video, apparently made by a contributor to the conspiracy-peddling website Infowars
, speeds up the movement of Acosta’s arms as the unidentified aide
grabs at the mic during a heated conversation between the reporter and
Trump. The video tweeted by Sanders also eliminated Acosta’s comment to
the young woman — “Pardon me, ma’am” — as he sought to continue
questioning the president.
On Thursday, Sanders offered no apologies. “The question is: Did the reporter make contact or not?” she asked reporters a day after the White House revoked Acosta’s press credentials for his alleged transgression. “The video is clear, he did. We stand by our statement.”
The White House’s actions and account of them has
drawn widespread condemnation, particularly from journalists and news
organizations. The White House News Photographers Association, among others, said it was appalled by Sanders’s video.
“As visual journalists, we know that manipulating images is manipulating truth,” said the group’s president, Whitney Shefte,
a Washington Post videographer. “It’s deceptive, dangerous and
unethical. Knowingly sharing manipulated images is equally problematic,
particularly when the person sharing them is a representative of our
country’s highest office with vast influence over public opinion.”
Totalitarian
governments have long recognized the value of altering photos and
videos to manipulate public opinion and perception. Officials were
regularly airbrushed out of state photos in the Soviet Union as
dictators such as Joseph Stalin purged internal enemies. Wartime
governments regularly censor images or release them selectively to
maintain popular order and morale."
