The release of a photo featuring Princess Kate of Wales and her children sparked controversy after concerns arose about potential manipulation. Photographers and media outlets raised questions about the image's authenticity, leading major news agencies to retract it, igniting a media crisis for the Royal Family.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on the implications of the edited image as well as the present media storm around the image. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Tayah Frye at [email protected].
Ethan Porter is an associate professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science at George Washington University. He is also the Cluster Lead of the Misinformation/Disinformation Lab at GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Politics, Social Forces, Political Analysis, Political Behavior, Political Communication and other journals. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and other popular publications, and has received grant support from the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council and the Omidyar Network. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.
Porter can discuss how this altering of images impacts the integrity of news reporting and how the public consumes media as well as the trust the public instills within media institutions and the impact of an event such as this.
Lawrence (Larry) Parnell is an Associate Professor and Director of the award-winning Strategic Public Relations program at The Graduate School of Political Management. Over a 30-year career, Parnell has held senior communications positions in consulting, on the client side and in politics. Most recently, he was Vice President and Group Leader of the Corporate Communications practice at Hill and Knowlton Canada. He came to Hill & Knowlton from Barrick Gold Corporation (Toronto) where he was Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations with responsibility for corporate, financial and internal communications. In New York, he served for four years as Director of Global Public Relations at Ernst & Young LLP. While at Ernst & Young he was named PR Professional of the Year (2003) by PR Week magazine. He is a frequent author and speaker on communications topics and a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
With a background and expertise in crisis work, Parnell can discuss how such situations impact trust between the government and the public as well as trust between the media and the public and how each party should handle the aftermath.
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