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Nine News apologises after MP complains about “enlarged boobs” photo

"Having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card," says Animal Justice Party MP.

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Nine News has apologised to Victorian MP Georgie Purcell after she complained that her body and outfit were photoshopped for a story.

Yesterday Nine reported the Animal Justice Party cross bencher saying the Victorian government had “blood on their hands” after she criticised their rejection of a duck hunting ban.

Later she posted on social media:

Nine News Melbourne director Hugh Nailon said, “Our graphics department sourced an online image of Georgie to use in our story on duck hunting,” he said.

“As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original.

“This did not meet the high editorial standards we have and for that we apologise to Ms Purcell unreservedly.”

Ms. Purcell later told news.com.au, “Unfortunately, the difference for women is that they also have to deal with the constant sexualisation and objectification that comes with having images leaked, distorted and AI generated.

“Let’s be clear – this is not something that happens to my male colleagues. The message this sends to young women and girls across Victoria is that even at the top of your field, your body is always up for grabs.”

Updated:

Melbourne-based Photoshop tutor David Ewing told Guardian Australia the editing of the photo was “no accident.”

“Photoshop would do nothing by it self other than open the photo, someone has told Photoshop how to edit a part of the image that they have selected.”

18 Responses

    1. An error in judgement maybe, but as many people have pointed out there is no way resizing a photo in photoshop would do this. To make the changes made would actually take several steps and it wouldn’t really work to automatize them.

  2. “automation by Photoshop” – what an outright lie! Anyone that uses Photoshop knows this is not how that software works. Someone made those changes, and would have been directed to do so. Saying it’s “not consistent with the original” are corporate weasel words in a feeble attempt to play it down. What a bunch of cowards you are Nine.

  3. Let’s assume for the a minute that AI did generate the image (spoiler alert: it didn’t). Don’t media companies have a duty to tell viewers if an image is not authentic? It does raise concerns that anything you actually see on Nine ‘News’ is not actually what it is.

  5. This is reprehensible. Somebody at GTV-9 Creative will be getting suspended or even sacked for this, worse if they’re more senior. I imagine Darren Wick would’ve been on the phone to Nailon today too, a newsroom who’s played second fiddle to HSV-7 for the last couple of years too and terrible timing with the re-launched team and successfully too amongst the Aus Open > Tipping Point / MAFS ratings spikes. Agree with a fellow reader here, expect to hear more from this… I suppose this also shows how powerful in the media’s eyes Nine Ent Co are at the moment. Wonder if arch-rival Seven News made a deal of this too.

    1. Despite what is an important conversation about representation of women in the media, I may stand corrected of course, but I don’t think any reaction would be anywhere near as melodramatic (suspended! sacked! phone calls! ratings!) as you might be suggesting. Give it 24 hours and everyone will have forgotten about it and the outrage cycle will move on to the next thing.

  6. I don’t for a second believe the “auto Photoshop” excuse, but nor do I really see what would motivate Nine to do this? It’s not like they’re creating clickbait, posting a pic online and trying to get more views, it’s TV news. They already have an engaged audience watching. Bizarre.

  7. Nine might need a bit more damage control on this one. I notice Adobe are disputing Nine’s claim about photoshop and a couple of international news sites, including the BBC have picked up the story. Jacket-gate 2.0?

  9. “During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original.”

    Either this is utter BS or they have legit have an automation that someone has made to “sexy-fy” women with minimal clicks.

    Stinks to high hell either way.

  10. That is outrageous. Maybe I’m too trusting but I would never have expected a news broadcaster to damage their integrity in such a manner. I’m glad she called attention to it and I hope everyone (female and male) continues to do so if they find themselves in that position.

    1. This is a world where even the ABC can’t get grammar and facts right. The Integrity was sold on ebay for $2 long ago. A commercial broadcaster will sell its grandmother if it gets more eyes watching. Controversy sells. I imagine 9’s web site ads are clicking up the revenue quite nicely as everyone takes a look.

  11. Bad Photoshop, going and giving the good people at channel 9 a bad name by automatically adding a crop top and enhancing physical features! Just like it did to the photos of my grandmother’s 90th birthday.

    There’s so much reaching for a plausible explanation by channel 9 that I expect the excuse to appear higher on the new ratings report than MAFS.

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