Politics | 09/03/2008 4:00 pm

The Sarah Palin Bikini Photo Fraud: Photoshop, the Internet and the Politics of Personal Destruction

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

From Left to Right: Flickr.com/ Flickr.com

It’s the oldest trick in the book. Destroy the credibility and character of a high-profile woman by simply finding a salacious picture of or rumor about her and make sure as many people as possible see it or hear about it. Don’t have such a picture?

Just make one up.

It’s no surprise that Americans revved up their Internet search engines immediately after Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. In only a few days, the number of U.S. Internet searches for the name "Sarah Palin" has soared higher than any other politico in the last three years, according to the media company Smart Brief, Inc.

But the marketers of the politics of personal destruction — or perhaps just a bored Internet blogger — have used the popularity of the Sarah Palin search query to create a viral frenzy over an insidiously faked Photoshopped picture of Gov. Palin in a red, white and blue bikini holding a gun. Overnight, this image is appearing as an actual photo from her past and is being posted on thousands of blogs and message boards worldwide.

Want proof?

Google the term "Sarah Palin Bikini Photos," a rising Internet search.

While many in the blogosphere know that the photo is a compilation of Gov. Palin’s head on the body of an anonymous gun-toting bikini-clad lass, it is also being embedded into countless sites as a true representation of the candidate. Clearly, this is an image that has been carefully crafted to ignite the worst kinds of misogynistic, hyper-partisan commentary.

Click here to see the step-by-step photoshop process of creating the Sarah Palin Bikini Photo Fraud.

Read more about: News, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin Bikini Photo

46 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Friend of mine made a valid point about former beauty queens and the liklihood of “naked pictures floating around out there”. Even if it were true it could be pawned off as an internet fake. Scheeze can you imagine how past leaders would have been dealt with in the internet age? The whole thing is as scary as identity theft. Who are any of us anymore?

By Don Larsen on 09/03/2008 7:07 pm

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How is this any worse than that disgusting New Yorker cover?

By Maurine H on 09/03/2008 7:16 pm

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One was satire.

By K O on 09/03/2008 8:57 pm

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Which one?

By Maurine H on 09/03/2008 9:20 pm

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Hi Maurine, I really think you’re a smart person, and I respect you. We may be on the same side of this, but photoshopping vs. satire is not a fair comparison.

By K O on 09/03/2008 10:20 pm

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Hi Kitty - the reason I compared the photoshopped photo of Palin to the NY mag cover of the Obamas is this: Any kid with a computer can photoshop pictures like the bikini photo. The internet is open territory and, no doubt there have been and will be many other photoshopped exaggerations and insults created during this campaign. Nobody gains a penny from these creative little efforts. The New Yorker magazine is a for-profit enterprise with a long-standing reputation for sophistication, which chose, as its “satirical” cover, to play on the fears of Americans about terrorism, violence and race. I still consider their choice of that cover to have been racist and repugnant. It prompted me to cancel my subscription of many years, and I suspect that thousands of other subscribers did the same. So, on second thought, I guess you are right, Kitty. There really isn’t a true comparison.

By Maurine H on 09/04/2008 11:22 am

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Let me restate what I was saying, Maurine. I think satire is okay. I get that you don’t, or maybe you didn’t like that particular piece of satire. I understand, and respect your opinion. I think photoshopping images is not okay. I get that you do, since nobody makes money. All I was saying is that I always will accept satire (even if I don’t think it’s funny), and I’ll never think altering images (without saying you have) is okay. My opinion only. We can agree to disagree on this one.

By K O on 09/04/2008 12:05 pm

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No, no, Kitty, I must not have made myself clear. I don’t think that photoshopping images such as the Palin bikini fraud is OK. I think it’s disrespectful, as are some of the images photoshopped of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. (If you ever watch The Daily Show or Stephen Colbert, or Letteman, they do it all the time.) My point was that the internet is a free-for-all with no restrictions and kids and grown-ups alike photoshop these things constantly. There is no law against doing it, because it would be virtually (ha) impossible to pass one…unless…the photos went mainstream and were “shopped” as authentic. That doesn’t make it right. Should Palin choose to sue the photoshopper, (if that person is traceable), she’s well within her rights to do so. The New Yorker cover was a vicious, misleading attempt to sell a magazine and play on the public’s fear, and not some amateur attempt to put down a candidate. That was my point.

By Maurine H on 09/04/2008 12:37 pm

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I respect your point of view, Maurine. I think you’re smart and know that your views are passionately held. Where you saw viciousness, I saw satire. I accept that we can hold different points of view on that. I enjoy hearing your thoughts, look forward to your posts and will continue to listen to everything you say with respect and admiration. (And if anybody ever attacks me, I hope you’re on my side.)

By K O on 09/04/2008 2:10 pm

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Thanks, Kitty. It’s always good conversing with you, and I know we can’t see eye-to-eye on every issue, but in general, we do. Don’t worry, friend, I’ve got your back! Oh BTW, I appreciate your mentioning several times that you like Obama’s economic plan but want to see more detail about how he would fund it. His website has a good deal of information, and I posted something to you from one of Lorraine’s posts, but I know, that since finances are your field you want to see the exact figures. I’ll be awaiting anything you have to say on the subject. Mo

By Maurine H on 09/04/2008 3:31 pm

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Thanks, Maurine. Saw the thing from Lorraine, and responded to you about it somewhere - don’t remember which thread. Anyhow, this is kind of wearing me down. Have read his web stuff, as well as analysis of it from non-partisan financial groups, and it’s still got a ways to go. Hope he or his people get on it. Anyhow, I’m happy to say we’re heading out to see some friends tonight, and shall miss the last of the RNC. I’m politically washed out. (and thinking of becoming an anarchist).

By K O on 09/04/2008 5:23 pm

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I’d vote for either of them. hubba hubba.

By Rush L on 09/03/2008 7:27 pm

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We know this is going to get ugly, and in the internet age, CREATIVE and ugly. Lesson 1. - never believe what you see in the internet ! Bookmark urbanlegends.com and truthorfiction.com. Look it up before you pass anything along. Lesson 2 - If you thought that political campaigns in the Carl Rove age were going to be fair, than you are a fool , and just the person they are aiming their crap at. Lesson 3. If you think either side would be immune to this, then you didn’t see how well Rove tactics worked on swiftboating John Kerry. And the Democrats have finally smartened up and this year will give as good as they get, fortunate for them, unfortunate for the rest of us. But it had to be done. Lesson 4. To Quote Bette Davis… “fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride ! ” Look, running for the presidency is not for sissies, there is way too much at stake. and the people in power do not give it up without a huge, dirty fight. But an added piece to all this is the lone geek sitting in his mother’s basement, or in a political operatives back room office, who has the ability to poison the web with unbelievably ugly garbage. WE ALL must learn to dig deep to find out the truth, to question everything we see, and keep an sharp eye out for manipulation. WE are being played… big time ! Go with your gut…. if it doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.

By EKA - on 09/03/2008 7:38 pm