Iran has, for years, been at war with the larger Internet, to the point where they tried to build their own. One of their biggest problems was, for a while, they seemed not to realize that it was easy to spot their terrible Photoshop work. So, back in the day, we all made fun of them and moved on with our lives. Except, apparently, the Drudge Report.
The Verge was the first to spot that the Drudge Report, running a story about Iran, just grabbed an image off the internet. First of all, look at this image:
Let’s be generous and say they didn’t notice Jar Jar down there. That still leaves the question of why they thought this was an actual photo, since usually missiles all launch in one direction. Needless to say, the internet was swift and merciless in its mockery:
https://twitter.com/AthertonKD/status/827194607104565249
Weesa don't think @DRUDGE bothered to check the featured image on their front page. pic.twitter.com/82x2lQ83Si
— n'avi space commando stan account (@hott0trotsky) February 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/JessicaHuseman/status/827192205081206784
It was first noticed several hours ago and appears to still be up. And if that weren’t quite enough egg on their collective face, take a look at the site’s archives from 2008:
Yep, they covered the exact story that started all of this. It’s a good reminder to any journalist that Google Image Search is not your friend, and to always remember the stories you’ve covered.
(via The Verge)