Doctored, Staged & Photoshopped Political Campaign Photos, Election Pictures
News out of Britain today that the Welsh Liberal Democrats–who are one political party running in a hotly-contested national election–are facing criticism for staging a fake political campaign ad that features someone dressed up as a police officer. The charge is that the person in the photo is not actually a police officer, but rather someone pretending to be one. While this doesn’t appear to be anything illegal or against election laws, it’s causing some raised eyebrows in England.
This brings up a good point for political candidates running in local elections here in the United States: be careful how you stage photographs, doctor images or Photoshop pictures used in your campaign literature and advertising. While it’s fine to use Photoshop or another image manipulation program to smooth out wrinkles, add a tan or whiten teeth, you’re treading on thin ice if you start removing individuals from a picture entirely or inserting someone who wasn’t in the photo to begin with.
And, of course, never dress someone up as a police officer, firefighter, doctor or military service member and include them in your political campaign advertising, commercials or fliers. While it might not be technically against election law in some states, trying to fool the voters into thinking you’re being endorsed by a group through these kind of tactics is deceptive.
Additionally, you run the risk of a huge backlash if a real group of safety service members notice that you dressed up an actor as one of their own in your advertising and report it to the public and media. If you don’t have a real man or woman in uniform to use in your political campaign ads, then don’t fake it.
Related Political Campaign & Local Election Strategies: