The media outlet used a paintball training photo in an article on the Russian offensiveĀ
The Reuters news agency has become the target of online ridicule after it published a report on the Ukraine conflict alongside an image of what appeared to be people playing airsoft.
The report was released on Monday, stating that Ukrainian soldiers had driven off Russian forces in Sumy Region, with the headline reading: āUkrainian border guards repelled an incursion by a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group in the northeastern region of Sumy on Monday, the governor of the Sumy region said.ā
However, what drew the attention of users online was not the content of the report, but the image used to illustrate it. The photo, which was apparently meant to represent Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the frontlines, upon closer look, actually shows a group of people seemingly playing a round of paintball, equipped with the characteristic masks and paintball guns.
Ukraine says it has repelled Russian incursion in Sumy region https://t.co/dE81E0R9P6 pic.twitter.com/une4hkj0M6
ā Reuters (@Reuters) May 16, 2022
A link to the article, posted alongside the aforementioned image, was published to the Reuters Twitter account, where it remains, despite receiving hundreds of comments pointing to the ill-fitting image.
Some users have stated that this Reuters post is a prime example of why itās become increasingly difficult to trust mainstream media reports on complex foreign conflicts such as the one in Ukraine, which is already hard to follow due to the avalanche of conflicting and misleading reports supposedly coming from the frontlines.
The other day, when I expressed doubt about a Reuters story, some of you scoffed about my doubt.
Here is Reuters telling you that the Ukrainians repelled a Russian assault, WHILE USING PAINTBALL GUNS.
Come on people. The Ukrainians are good, but not that good. https://t.co/tTIq9gRAgK
ā Tactical Wisdom (@DolioJ) May 16, 2022
Other users have also jested that the image actually depicts the paintball industry getting in on the Russia-Ukraine conflict to make a quick buck, suggesting that the $40 billion proposed by the US Senate might get spent on paintball gear.
Did America just spend $40 billion to buy Ukraine paintball gear???
ā Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 16, 2022
Maybe Ukrainians really do need the $40 billion if theyāre fighting the Russian army with paintball guns? š¤·āāļø And @Reuters wonders why nobody trusts legacy media anymore. š https://t.co/Hta8N5lW4P
ā TJ Cutshaw (@CutshawTj) May 16, 2022
Reuters attempted to justify the use of the image, stating that the photo showed āmembers of the territorial defense forceā attending a ātraining simulation.ā However, many have slammed the agency for not including that clarification in the original tweet in the first place.
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com