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Bogus storm pictures spread faster than Superstorm Sandy

BY Josh Kerns  on October 30, 2012 @ 11:02 am (Updated: 12:23 pm - 10/30/12 )

fakestormdayafter.jpg
A widely circulated picture purporting to show the Statue of Liberty under siege from Hurricane Sandy was actually from the popular movie "The Day After Tomorrow." (Twitter image)
As Hurricane Sandy pounded the East Coast Monday, the Internet was abuzz with dramatic pictures from the center of the storm.

Among the most widely circulated shots were pictures of waves crashing into the Statue of Liberty, massive storm clouds hovering over New York City, and soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery in the driving rain. There was just one problem: The pictures were either bogus or taken some other time.

>>>Check out the photo gallery of the best bogus Sandy shots here

"There were so many fake pictures of Sandy going around that it reached this point where you couldn't believe anything you saw on the Internet," says Ross and Burbank co-host Luke Burbank.

"I am a big defender of the Internet and I'm a big defender of Twitter and Facebook for being effective ways that information is disseminated quickly, but yesterday afternoon did not feel like a high point for those mediums telling us what was going on."

It turns out the picture of the soldiers at Arlington was actually taken in September. Other storm shots were simply taken right out of the movies, or created in Photoshop. But that didn't stop millions from spreading them around.

"Ironically, the real ones were better than the doctored ones," says co-host Dave Ross. "Why post that when you have real, undoctored pictures of a flooded subway platform?"

One of Luke's favorite fakes was a shot of a flooded McDonald's, that was actually a shot of a French art installation. He says it just goes to show you how little many people actually think about what they share online.

"They just retweet and re-post on Instagram or Tumblr or their Facebook page whatever comes into their field of vision."

The fakes became so widespread, a number of blogs and Tumblr pages dedicated to outing the bogus pictures starting cropping up Monday night nearly as fast as the dubious shots. The page "Is Twitter Wrong" compiled some of the best photos, including supposed shots of sharks swimming in the streets.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (8)


  • Add A Comment

  • ron prevost wrote...
    So ???????
    October 30, 2012 12:04 pm
    .....
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  • Northlander wrote...
    Bogus storm pictures spread faster than Superstorm Sandy
    October 30, 2012 1:10 pm
    Sounds like Ross and Burbank are desperate to discredit real Americans. Hey Dave have the guts to look up the Old Guard history as well as what it takes to stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. You're nothing more than Seattle's version of Chris Matthews.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sometimesrock wrote...
    huh?
    October 30, 2012 3:32 pm
    What the heck does the Old Guard have to do with people posting fake pictures?!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    @sometimesrock
    October 30, 2012 4:34 pm
    Obviously you have a computer. LOOK IT UP....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Royal Pain wrote...
    Duped???
    October 30, 2012 3:48 pm
    This is what troubles you??? You are the one who has been duped!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    But wait!! There's more..
    October 30, 2012 5:39 pm
    Dave, do a bit of research for us listeners (the ones that buy stuff from Best Buy, Les Schwab and other advertisers on KIRO)if you will. You have the best resources at hand. Find out how many countries have offered to "provide assistance" to the U.S. for out little problem in NYC and other areas. I'll bet its the same as those that sent money in to help us with that Katrina issue. Go ahead Dave, let us in on it. Think outside of the box.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Ross & Burbank
    October 30, 2012 6:24 pm
    Aren't you guys just the slightest bit embarrassed that this is all you could come up with to write about after such a catastrophic NATIONAL EMERGENCY? You post something so vapid that it pretty much epitomizes the depth of your hipsterLiberal so-called journalist/ news commentator status in the world of integrity... Well played, Morons.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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