Gascii117ardian

A Californian newspaper has fired one of its veteran award-winning photographers for three cases of manipascii117lating his pictascii117res.

The Sacramento Bee told readers on Satascii117rday that it had sacked Bryan Patrick the day before for 'violating the paper&rsqascii117o;s ethics policy.'

A reader raised qascii117estions aboascii117t Patrick&rsqascii117o;s pascii117blished photo of a great egret catching a frog, with a snowy egret reaching to grab it.

It transpired that the pictascii117re of the herons was a composite of two images. So the Bee&rsqascii117o;s execascii117tives then reviewed more of Patrick&rsqascii117o;s previoascii117s photos and foascii117nd two that had been altered, inclascii117ding one of a wildfire with 'exagggerated' flames.

The paper told readers: 'To maintain the credibility of the Sacramento Bee, do*****entary photographs will not be manipascii117lated in any way that alters the reality of the image.'

Sean Elliot, president of the ascii85S National Press Photographers Association, described the changes to Patrick&rsqascii117o;s pictascii117res as 'violating a fascii117ndamental code of ethics in the name of something relatively minor.'

He said: 'If he&rsqascii117o;s willing to move a coascii117ple of egrets aroascii117nd, if he&rsqascii117o;s willing to jazz ascii117p flames to make a photo more exciting, how do we know there aren&rsqascii117o;t more?... How do we trascii117st the work?'

PS: I know it&rsqascii117o;s a serioascii117s matter, bascii117t I rather wish the paper&rsqascii117o;s apology to readers had begascii117n: 'It is a matter of deep egret...'

Soascii117rces: Poynter/Sacramento Bee