Mirror uses stock image of American child for front page UK foodbanks story

[Brazen]

The Mirror's Crying Child Photo – Not All That it Seems by Dan Barker

Here's the front cover of the Daily Mirror. A haunting image of a starving British child, crying their eyes out.

Only... the child is from the Bay Area, and the photo was purchased from Flickr via Getty Images...

Here's the source of the original image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurenrosenbaum/4084544644/ (Here's a happier one taken the following day: https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurenrosenbaum/4086511962/. Apparently she was crying over an earthworm.)

An excellent photo, taken by the excellent Lauren Rosenbaum in November 2009, shared on a US website (Flickr), sold by an American photo agency (Getty Images), used to illustrate poverty in Britain.

    Does it matter that the photo is not really a starving child?
    Does it matter that the photo wasn't even taken in the UK?
    Is there an ethical issue in buying a stock photo of a child – not in poverty – and using it to illustrate poverty?
    Does it matter that the headline begins "Britain, 2014″, but the photo is actually "USA, 2009″

[Brazen]

All things considered, I'd argue that's more ethical than taking a photo of a starving British child crying at a food bank, should such a scenario ever occur.

[grumbler]

I don't see the big deal.  There's no one above the age of seven who believes in Santa Claus or British tabloid "journalism."  The picture is likely the most authentic thing on that front page.

[Razgovory]

I don't see the big deal.  There's no one above the age of seven who believes in Santa Clause or British tabloid "journalism."  The picture is likely the most authentic thing on that front page.

Lawyers believe in the Santa Clause.

[grumbler]

I don't see the big deal.  There's no one above the age of seven who believes in Santa Clause or British tabloid "journalism."  The picture is likely the most authentic thing on that front page.

Lawyers believe in the Santa Clause.

  Touche.

[Norgy]

I don't see the big deal.  There's no one above the age of seven who believes in Santa Clause or British tabloid "journalism."  The picture is likely the most authentic thing on that front page.

Lawyers believe in the Santa Clause.

[Neil]

It's newspaper art for a story.  Why would any of that matter?  And why would we be surprised that a rich country would hand out lots of food assistance?

[Syt]

In German papers use of stock photo is usually credited as such, if it's a somewhat reputable paper.

[Valmy]

It's newspaper art for a story.  Why would any of that matter?  And why would we be surprised that a rich country would hand out lots of food assistance?

Yeah I didn't get that either.  We are rich so WHY ARE WE HELPING THE POOR???!!11  Let them eat cake.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah I didn't get that either.  We are rich so WHY ARE WE HELPING THE POOR???!!11  Let them eat cake.

We as a country are rich. There shouldn't be people depending on charity for their food.

Food banks in this country barely existed before the recession and the government's changes to welfare (the largest cause for referral is that someone's not received their benefits in time).

[Valmy]

We as a country are rich. There shouldn't be people depending on charity for their food.

Ah well we have the mentally ill, ex-convicts who cannot get jobs or receive welfare, drug addicts and substance abusers of other stripes, and all the dependents of the above.  Plenty of people who either cannot get welfare or are incapable of benefiting from it.  Charity is going to have an important place in our society.  Also to an American those seem like tiny numbers but I realize your country is 1/5th the size of ours.

Food banks in this country barely existed before the recession and the government's changes to welfare (the largest cause for referral is that someone's not received their benefits in time).

Unemployment and rising sovereign debt levels will do that.

[Maximus]

Yeah I didn't get that either.  We are rich so WHY ARE WE HELPING THE POOR???!!11  Let them eat cake.

We as a country are rich. There shouldn't be people depending on charity for their food.

Food banks in this country barely existed before the recession and the government's changes to welfare (the largest cause for referral is that someone's not received their benefits in time).

Are food banks an inferior form of charity to welfare?

[Norgy]

Yeah I didn't get that either.  We are rich so WHY ARE WE HELPING THE POOR???!!11  Let them eat cake.

We as a country are rich. There shouldn't be people depending on charity for their food.

Food banks in this country barely existed before the recession and the government's changes to welfare (the largest cause for referral is that someone's not received their benefits in time).

If I said food banks exist in Oslo, Norway, would you believe me? The influx of Schengen citizens with no work has led to that, along with a growing number of domestic poor.

[Valmy]

If I said food banks exist in Oslo, Norway, would you believe me? The influx of Schengen citizens with no work has led to that, along with a growing number of domestic poor.

Odd I guess I always pictured Norway like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ffohVdAbY

[Norgy]

Yes, it's exactly like that.