Phil Chetwynd, director of information at Agence France-Presse, told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday (March 12th) that the press agency no longer trusts the prince’s palace after the photoshop scandal.
“It appears that the image of Kate and her children released by Kensington Palace today (Sunday) has been altered,” AFP said in a press release published on Monday (March 11). It has therefore been removed from the AFP service and should no longer be used in any way.” The press agency did not actually publish the family portrait shared by Kensington Palace. We see Kate Middleton, who is recuperating from “tummy surgery” in mid-January, posing, all smiles, surrounded by her children. The only downside is that many netizens have pointed out the retouched look of this photo.
Since then, Agence France-Presse information director Phil Chetwynd announced on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show on Tuesday March 12 that the agency no longer regards the prince’s palace as a reliable source. Presenter Ross Atkins asked her if Kensington Palace was trustworthy for her. “Absolutely not,” replied Phil Chetwynd. As always, when we get frustrated with a source, we raise the bar. So much so that the agency’s leadership has sent out “notes” to its colleagues asking them to be “much more vigilant about the content that reaches them,” even if it comes from “what we would call credible sources.”
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Confusion
Phil Chetwynd then confirmed that multiple news agencies discussed the family portrait before agreeing not to publish it. Then they asked the Kensington Palace to provide the original of their photo, which the palace refused. A rare decision, he said. “Not publishing something based on manipulation is rare,” he continued. We do it once a year, maybe, hopefully less. Previous publications were by North Korean or Iranian news agencies.”
Before adding: “Really, the important thing is that we cannot distort reality for society. it’s a matter of trust.” Kate Middleton herself issued her mea culpa on Monday, March 11, following the controversy surrounding the retouched photo. “Like any amateur photographer, I sometimes experiment with editing,” he wrote. I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family portrait we shared yesterday may have caused.” And the princess concluded: “I hope everyone had a good Mother’s Day.”
Source: Le Figaro
