Media uses 2007 photo for reporting Indonesian ferry accident
On September 13, a ferry named “Virgo Transport 8”, which had set sail from Surabaya in Indonesia’s East Java province, sank. In news reports published regarding the incident, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), News24, and Barta24 used a photograph of a 2007 ferry accident that occurred in Indonesia.
BSS published a report on September 14 under the headline “Over a Hundred Missing in Indonesia Ferry Sinking, Rescue Operation Underway.” In the report it was stated that Indonesia conducted a massive rescue operation on Monday in search of over a hundred missing passengers after a ferry sank in rough seas.
On the same day, News24 published a report on this incident with the headline, “Over a Hundred Missing in Indonesia Ferry Sinking, Rescue Operation Underway.” Additionally, the headline of Barta24’s report was, “Over a Hundred Missing in Indonesia Ferry Sinking, Rescue Operation Underway.” The exact same photograph was used in all three reports.
Citing the news agency AFP, the reports stated that the ferry “Virgo Transport 8” had 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board. After setting sail from Surabaya, the second-largest city in East Java, communication with the ferry’s operating company was lost early Sunday morning.
Conducting a reverse image search to verify the source of the used photograph yields a report published by the news agency AFP on January 2, 2007. The photograph used in that report exactly matches the photograph used in the reports by News24, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, and Barta24. The AFP report stated that search and rescue operations continued two days after a ferry carrying nearly 600 passengers capsized off the coast of Java due to bad weather.
Furthermore, the identical photograph is preserved on the stock photography site Getty Images. In the description there, the photograph is also noted as an image of the Java province from January 1, 2007. AFP is cited as the source of the photograph.
Therefore, in the news of the September 13 accident in Indonesia, News24, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, and Barta24 used a photograph of a 2007 ferry accident in their reports. However, they did not label the photo as a file photo or representational image.
Incidentally, on Sunday, a ship named Virgo Transport 8 set sail with 243 people on board from Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java. En route, the ship encountered adverse weather conditions and sank.
