On January 5, US President Trump released a photo of Venezuelan President Maduro’s arrest, which was reposted around the world. However, the New York Times has cast doubt on the authenticity of this photo. Was it generated by AI? The New York Times said the photo was shocking and newsworthy, and required prudent judgment.
The authenticity of the photo posted by Trump is questionable
On Saturday morning, Trump announced on his social media platform that the United States had captured Venezuelan leader Maduro. A few hours later, he posted another photo. The photo shows Maduro appearing to be wearing baggy sweatpants, blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a U.S. warship.
Trump wants to use this method to prove that "mission accomplished." He captioned the photo, "Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima."
However, given Trump’s previous history of sharing AI-generated images on social media. The New York Times photo editorial team had to evaluate the photo he posted to help decide whether to publish it.
In fact, just before Trump released this photo, another picture of Maduro’s arrest had begun to circulate on social media. That image appeared to show Maduro being detained by U.S. military or U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials. The image was not verified and was provided by a New York Times reporter's source. Clinton Cargil, news director of The New York Times' photography department, discovered the image, along with another related image, on social media.
Unverified pictures
Cargill used an AI detection tool to verify it and consulted Stuart Thompson, a journalist who specializes in reporting on disinformation. Both men pointed to inconsistencies in the two images that suggested they may not be authentic. For example, Thompson noticed that the second row of portholes in the aircraft's cargo hold looked strange.
However, several AI detection websites did not find any clear AI-generated features in these images. However, these sites are not foolproof. Even for images that have been proven to be authentic, they sometimes show uncertainty.
However, even if there is a slim chance that these images are fake, considering their unknown origins and details such as Maduro’s different clothing in the two images, it was enough for the New York Times to decide not to publish them.
While Cargill was investigating the photos, Trump posted photos of Maduro on social media.
There's something fishy about this photo: it's been cropped into a rare vertical format, and it appears that much of the original image has been cropped and is of poor quality. A photo editor at The New York Times noted that it looked like a reprint of a printed photo, or a photo of the screen. There is also a certain degree of uncertainty in the photo posted by Trump when analyzed using AI detection tools.
AI detection tool shows uncertainty about photo authenticity
The New York Times has reported that Trump has a habit of spreading AI-generated images and deepfakes on social media, so they have reason to doubt the authenticity of this photo.
Moreover, the New York Times also takes a cautious attitude towards official images released by the US government. Even if the image itself is real, The New York Times cannot necessarily verify its authenticity, let alone ensure that its production process followed the rigorous standards of the journalism industry. At the same time, the New York Times is also aware that any images released by the U.S. government are often intended to promote a specific narrative.
On rare occasions, The New York Times does publish official government images, usually because the image or its dissemination is highly newsworthy, or because the photo was taken in a location that is inaccessible to journalists. In this regard, the New York Times will always clearly mark such images as "officially provided" and explain their source in the image description.
In this incident, Trump’s post on his real social media account was newsworthy in itself, even if the New York Times could not 100% confirm the authenticity of the image. Julie Bloom, head of the New York Times' real-time newsroom, considered including the image in a blog post covering the president's posts, and print editors also favored publishing it in the Sunday edition of the paper.
Ultimately, The New York Times determined that the best way to present the image was to place it within the full context of Trump's actual social posts, rather than showing the image in isolation. Placing it in the context of the post means that even if the image is later proven to be false, the New York Times does not present it as a legitimate news photo, but rather as an act of information dissemination by the president.
The New York Times decided to publish a cropped version of the post on the front page of the newspaper's website, while the full post appeared on the inside of the print edition. Given the long-term retention of the print front page, the newspaper was careful not to feature it prominently on it.