Fifteen Eighty Four

Few newspaper pieces are so (ready for this one?) metatextual as this one about photograph manipulation.

Remember Iran’s swarms of test missiles? Remember how there were really only two? Does it matter anymore how many there were, since you saw an intimidating picture with a bunch of missiles?

Photoshop analysis by Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs

As it happens, seeing something is usually enough to ingrain it in your mind, even if you know that it is false.

Better yet, don’t bother with the task of digital alteration:

The rest of the article includes a fascinating interview with digital expert Hany Farid. And yes, they bring Godzilla into it. Definitely worth a read.

The US has been at it too, especially during the Cold War. And that kid thinks that JFK is hilarious, apparently.