Brian Walski

Infobox journalist
name = Brian Walski


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birth_date = Birth year and age|1958
birth_place = Illinois, USA
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occupation = Photojournalism
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credits = Won the California Press Photographers Association's 2001 Photographer of the Year
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Brian Walski is a professional photographer who was accused in 2003 of altering some news photographs, which he later admitted. Until the incident, he was a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, he had won the California Press Photographers Association's 2001 Photographer of the Year.

Bio

Walski was born in Illinois and grew up in Chicago and studied journalism at Northern Illinois University. He has worked as a photographer since 1980 starting his career at the Albuquerque Journal, Patriot-Ledger in Quincy, MA, and the Boston Herald. He spent 12 years on staff at the Herald until he joined the Los Angeles Times in September, 1998. During his career he has covered everything from local news to the Gulf War, famine in Africa, Northern Ireland, the conflict in Kashmir and the crisis in the Balkanscite web |year=2001 |url = http://www.foto8.com/links/photographers/index.html|title = Links> Contributors|format = HTML |publisher = [http://www.foto8.com foto8.com] | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | last= |quote=]

Iraq Scandal

On March 30, 2003 Brian Walski took photographs near Basra, Iraq of British soldiers telling Iraqi civilians during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq to take cover. He took a number of pictures and while later viewing them decided to combine a couple of his images to create a superior picturecite web |year=2007 |url = http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Altered_Images|title = Famous Pictures Magazine - Altered Images|format = HTML |publisher = [http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/ Famous Pictures Magazine] | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | last= |quote=] . That day he sent the pictures to LA staff who posted them on the internal photo sharing system for various media outlets owned by the Tribune News Corporation. Media across the country ran the image including Walski's LA Times and the Tribune Corp owned, Hartford Courant. It was at the Courant that the image was noticed.

A staffer at the paper was looking closely at the image for friends that lived in Iraq. While studying the image he noticed duplicated people in the backgroundcite web |date=03/04/09|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/essays/vanRiper/030409.htm
title = Manipulating Truth, Losing Credibility|format = HTML |publisher = Washington Post| accessdate = 2007-10-01 | last=Frank Van Riper |quote=] and notified Thom McGuire, the Courant's Assistant Managing Editor for Photography & Graphics. McGuire confirmed that the image was altered and contacted Colin Crawford, Los Angeles Times Director of Photography.

It took Crawford four days to get hold of Walski who was still in battle conditions covering the war. When confronted with the image Crawford said, "Give me an excuse. Tell me it was a satellite transmission problem. Say something." to which Walski replied, "No, I did it. I combined the two picturescite web |date=2003-05-07|url = http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000456607|title = Brian Walski Discusses His Doctored Photo|format = HTML |publisher = pdnonline| accessdate = 2007-10-01 | last=David Walker |quote=] . "

On April 1, 2003 the "Los Angeles Times" fired Brian Walski.

ince the Scandal

Brian Walski has since opened a private photography firm called Brian Walski Photography in the Denver, Colorado area. [ [http://www.brianwalskiphotography.com BrianWalskiPhotography.com ] ]

ee also

* Ethical and legal considerations in Photojournalism
* Photography

References

External links

* [http://www.brianwalskiphotography.com/ Brian Walski's Home page]