Elanso

A large version of the photo with flaws pointed out is here.
Ah the Chinese and their counterfeits. Here on the Probe, we’ve seen fake Disneylands and cardboard filled foodstuffs. But this time it is the media that has been caught red handed trying to make the state’s expensive and environmentally controversial Qinghai-Xizang railway look friendly.

Here are some select excerpts from the article on the propaganda controversy:

The train, which soon brought many visitors to the pristine homeland of Tibetan Buddhists, became a flash point for China’s long simmering tensions with Tibet. During construction, it drew fierce protests from environmentalists who said it would threaten the breeding grounds of the chiru, an endangered antelope species found mainly in China.

When the train service began, a remarkable photograph appeared in hundreds of newspapers, and it eased environmental concerns. The picture, captioned “Qinghai-Tibet railway opens green passage for wildlife,” featured dozens of antelope galloping peacefully across the Tibetan landscape, unfazed as the gleaming silver train raced beside them.

The photo was the work of Liu Weiqing, a 41-year-old photographer who had been camped with his Jeep on the Tibetan plateau since March, as part of a highly publicized series by the Daqing Evening News, a regional newspaper, to raise awareness of the rare Tibetan antelope. Mr. Liu was also under contract with Xinhua to provide photos for China’s largest government-run news service.

Media critics say the photo’s deeper message was hard to miss. “It’s such a perfect propaganda photo,” says David Bandurski a researcher at the University of Hong Kong China Media Project. “They don’t tend to give journalism prizes to reports that rock the boat.”

Suspicions about the photo became public last week after Mr. Liu’s photograph was displayed in Beijing’s subway system.

Cornered by the mounting evidence, Mr. Liu admitted he had indeed used Photoshop to blend two pictures, according to the newspaper.

Mr. Liu resigned from the Daqing Evening News

The Antelope is one of the mascots for the upcoming controversially located Beijing Olympics.