Sac Bee fires photographer over altered pictures
Feb 6, 2012, 2:58 AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The Sacramento Bee has fired a longtime photographer who editors say broke newspaper policy by digitally altering photos.
In a letter to readers Saturday (
http://bit.ly/AkeS4y), the Bee says Bryan Patrick manipulated a photo published in the newspaper last Sunday.
A reader emailed to say the photo of a snowy egret stealing a frog from a great egret looked altered. The Bee published a correction and apology.
The newspaper says a review of Patrick’s work found a shadow removed and flowers inserted into a photo published online in September.
The Bee’s ethics policy prohibits photos from being changed “in any way that alters the reality of the image.”
The Bee is a member of The Associated Press, which has the same policy. The AP has protectively eliminated all of Patrick’s photos from its photo archive.
Attempts to reach Patrick were unsuccessful.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
