AFP uses specialist software to detect manipulated photos

AFP is reputed to be the only global news agency to use Tungstene, high-technology image interpretation software which combs through the information contained in digital images to detect potential tampering. Using a suite of filters, it can identify tell-tale discrepancies in pixels and analyse harmonisation of light and colour.

The Agency has set up a specialist unit within its photo department to trace edits and manipulations in suspect photos. If an editor expresses doubts about the veracity of a particular image, it is passed to the unit for analysis using the software. AFP has equipped its regional editorial centres in Washington, Paris and Hong Kong with the new software.

AFP is recognised for the excellence of its photojournalism and Tungstene is aimed at "preserving the authenticity of the work of its journalists," said Roger Cozien, a former criminology expert who created the software package.

AFP used Tungstene to identify tampering on a recent photograph purportedly of a dead Osama bin Laden, an image broadcast in Pakistan and subsequently widely used around the world, before it was withdrawn as an obvious hoax.

About AFP

AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2900 journalists spread across almost every country, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages. AFP delivers the news in video, text, photos, multimedia and graphics to a wide range of customers including newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, web sites and portals, mobile operators, corporate clients as well as public institutions.