What do you call misleading images created by digitally altering a photograph?

... the shame visited this summer upon certain photojournalists for their "fauxtography" in Lebanon -- darkening skies, adding smoke and fire to scenes of battle ...
- Wall Street Journal, Sept. 19, 2006, p.D6 col.1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,

Very interesting term! Did you know that "fixing" photographs is nothing new? Many of the very famous photos taken of the American Civil War by Matthew Brady and his group were "staged". They had a practice of moving bodies and props to the "perfect" locations for their images. Gruesome.

No, CW, I hadn't known that. How interesting! Nowadays it is so easy, though, to change any part of the picture. I was amazed at how they "fixed" the photos of Katie Couric. Heck, even the most amateur photographer can completely change a photo.

I doubt that "fauxtography" will catch on, though it's quite a clever coinage. The problem would be when someone spoke it ...

fauxtography

The first time I saw this word, or rather its French version fauxtografie was in a film by Godard. Might've been Week-end (1967). The meaning, if any, was different.