Solar eclipse rumors | Royal photo fiasco

Several major news agencies removed a photo of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, with her children after it appeared the photo, issued on March 10, had been manipulated. The Associated Press explained that the organization “does not use altered or digitally manipulated images” and the photo didn’t meet editorial standards. AP issued a rare “photo kill” notification — which instructed news organizations who use AP material to remove the photo from their systems.

A day after the photo was released, the princess claimed responsibility for manipulating the image and apologized for “any confusion” caused by its release. The image was the first official photo of the princess since she retreated from public duties after getting surgery two months ago. Conspiracy theories about her condition and whereabouts have flourished online during her absence, which is expected to last into April.

• Idea: Have students watch this two-minute video of Eric Baradat, the director of photography at Agence France-Presse, discussing the decision to remove the photo of the princess and her children. What do you think Baradat means when he says that AFP has “a duty of transparency” and “a duty of trust towards our subscribers”? How are editorial standards for news photos different than a personal photo you may post on social media? Do you think news agencies upheld or violated journalism standards in this incident? Why?
• Resources:
  • “Why did news agencies pull the Kate Middleton photo?” (NLP’s TikTok).
  • “Practicing Quality Journalism” (NLP’s Checkology® virtual classroom).
  • “News Goggles: Kent Porter, The Press Democrat” (NLP’s Resource Library).
• Related: 
  • “How a doctored photo of the Princess of Wales triggered a media crisis” (Maura Judkis, Janay Kingsberry, Herb Scribner and Karla Adam, The Washington Post).
  • “News agencies withdraw photo of UK’s Princess of Wales” (Kate Holton, Reuters).
  • “Kate Middleton and the case for hope in our information hellscape” (Jon Allsop, Columbia Journalism Review).
  • “What the Princess Kate photo reveals about misinformation threats during elections” (Alex Mahadevan, Poynter).

Dig Deeper: Use this think sheet for students to take notes on journalism standards and manipulated photos (meets NLP Standard 3).

Will TikTok be banned in the U.S.? The House of Representatives passed legislation on March 13 that would require the platform’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to find a buyer in six months or face a nationwide ban. Proponents of the bill cite national security concerns, saying the app could be weaponized by the Chinese government. Opponents say a TikTok ban would violate First Amendment rights for the 170 million Americans who use the video platform. The bill still needs to pass in the Senate; if it does, President Joe Biden has said he would sign it into law.

• Discuss: How would a TikTok ban affect you and your community? Does banning a social media app violate the First Amendment? Do you think TikTok should be banned? Why or why not?
• 📣 Engage: “Teachers, what are your students asking you about the TikTok ban?” (NLP’s TikTok page).
• Resources:
  • “The First Amendment” (Checkology virtual classroom). 
  • Poster: “The First Amendment” (NLP’s Resource Library). 
  • Quiz: “So, what’s the First Amendment?” (NLP’s Resource Library).
• Related:
  • “A declining share of adults, and few teens, support a U.S. TikTok ban” (Colleen McClain, Pew Research Center). 
  • Opinion: “It’s just an app” (Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic).
  • “The U.S. could ban TikTok. These countries have blocked or restricted it.” (Jennifer Hassan, Ellen Francis, Ruby Mellen and Adam Taylor, The Washington Post).