The New York Times has done an interesting job of presenting the softer side of Iranian President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Most recently they ratcheted up the spin machine in their attempts to seed doubt with the American governments contention that Iran is fueling the terrorist lead insurgency in Iraq with weapons and support. Not content with planting the seeds of doubt with words alone, the Times storytellers have dug deep into the bucket of visual manipulation by presenting a flattering portrait like image of Ahmadinejad to accompany their story on the reported summit between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Note the deep thoughtful stare that is accentuated by the wistful shadows and subtle filter blur. The only thing missing is the brandy glass.
The New York Times is notorious for this tactic when reporting on people they support. Take for instance this soggy picture of a somber looking Mrs. Clinton who appears to be transfixed in deep thought behind a lonely podium. It accompanied the Times coverage of her trip to Hunter college. This is all fine and well but I don't often see the same kind of dress up given to subjects and people that the Times editors oppose. Far from it.
None of this is explicable in the case of the hateful terror inciting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who vows death to America and Israel on a regular basis.
The New York Times constantly sows misplaced doubt about the intentions of the United States government. But if any doubt exists it should be on the ability of the New York Times to regain any semblance of credibility as a serious unbiased source of news. They appear increasingly hopeless.
As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. In the Times case it is an essay on the sad state of affairs at the nation's premiere advocacy group for detractors of the United States.
Terry Trippany is the editor at Webloggin.
Correction: I had inadvertently noted that the summit was between Syria and Iran when in fact it is Saudi Arabia. The article has been corrected to reflect this.