DBC uses 2019 photo in Hormuz tanker attack report

The news outlet DBC News published a report on a missile attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. However, an old photograph was used in that report and in the photocards shared on social media without any disclaimer. A fact-check by Dismislab has found that the photograph is of an oil tanker that caught fire following an attack in the Gulf of Oman in 2019.

On October 4, a photocard was published on the official Facebook page of DBC News. It read, “Missile attack on the engine room of an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.” The photograph used in the photocard shows a ship on fire. The source of the photograph was stated as “Collected”. Visiting the DBC News website through the link provided in the comments reveals that the exact same photograph was also used in the report.

Conducting a reverse image search to verify the source of the photograph yields a report published by the news media Al Jazeera on June 15, 2019. The photograph used in that report exactly matches the photograph used in DBC’s photocard. In the description of the photograph in Al Jazeera’s report, it was stated, crude oil tanker Front Altair on fire in the Gulf of Oman after an attack.

The same photograph was also used in a report published by the British news media The Guardian on June 14, 2019. The report stated that two oil tankers were attacked, leaving one ablaze and the other adrift, in the second such incident in a month near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway for world oil supplies. The news agency AP was mentioned as the source of the photograph.

Therefore, the photograph that was used by DBC News on October 4 for the tanker attack incident in the Strait of Hormuz is a 2019 photograph of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. Al Jazeera’s 2019 report also referred to the same photograph as the scene following the attack on the tanker “Front Altair”.

Incidentally, an attack on a ship took place in the Strait of Hormuz on October 4. According to information from the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), an unknown projectile struck a tanker inside the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship’s engine room. The ship’s crew are safe and no environmental damage has been reported.

What do journalistic guidelines say regarding the use of old photographs?

The BBC’s editorial guidelines, considered the international standard for broadcast journalism, contain specific instructions for the use of photographs or videos taken from an archive. The “Archive Material” section of the guidelines’ accuracy chapter states that any material taken from an archive must not be used in a way that misleads viewers and readers about an event or situation; if necessary, it must be clearly labeled.

The guidelines further state that the BBC also provides instructions to keep clear when any news or content that gives the impression of being up-to-date was first published and when it was last updated. This is to ensure that readers are not misled about the time of publication.

That is, according to these guidelines, if an old photograph must be used in a report on a new incident, it cannot be presented as an immediate and actual scene. It must be explicitly mentioned as a “file photo” or archive photograph. If possible, exactly when and where the photograph was captured must also be informed.

Incidentally, Dismislab has also published reports previously regarding the use of old photographs by the news media.

Disclaimer: The original version of this report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on October 5, 2026. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.