HispanicBusiness

Atlantic Monthly was blindsided last week with the news that Jill Greenberg, the photographer who shot a recent cover image of Sen. John McCain, deliberately used unflattering lighting and only did minimal touchups in an effort to cast the presidential candidate in a negative light. Ms. Greenberg also took the opportunity to photograph Sen. McCain using a discretely placed strobe light to make him appear monstrous for pictures she later digitally altered and posted on her Web site.

James Bennet, editor of the magazine, issued a statement Sunday defending its cover image and his decision to use Ms. Greenberg as the photographer, citing her previous work with other national magazines, including Time, Wired, and Portfolio. Mr. Bennet said, "When we contract with photographers for portraits, we don't vet them for their politics--instead, we assess their professional track records. Based on the portraits she had done of politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger ... we expected Jill Greenberg, like the other photographers we work with, to behave professionally."

Mr. Bennet later told Fox News that Ms. Greenberg would not be paid for her work. The publication will soon issue an apology to Sen. McCain and is considering a lawsuit against Ms. Greenberg.

Ms. Greenberg has been bragging about her actions, saying she deliberately left Sen. McCain's eyes red and his skin tone untouched.

Her Web site, manipulator.com [ed. note: Warning -- images may be disturbing and/or inappropriate for workplace or younger audience], currently opens with an ominous picture of the senator with red text at the top reading, "I'll have my girl kill Roe v. Wade." The Web site contains a portfolio with four more doctored pictures, including two more with disparaging 'quotes,' and one portraying Sen. McCain with shark teeth, tasting the blood around his mouth.

"I am a pretty hard-core Democrat. Some of my artwork has been pretty anti-Bush, so maybe it was somewhat irresponsible for them to hire me," Ms. Greenberg said in an interview with Photo District News (PDN).


Jeffrey Goldberg, author of the cover story on Sen. McCain's foreign policy, published a blog entry Sunday on TheAtlantic.com, offering his opinions on the incident:

"Suffice it to say that her "art" is juvenile, and on occasion repulsive. This is not the issue, of course; the issue is that she betrayed this magazine, and disgraced her profession.

"I don't know Greenberg (I count this as a blessing) and I can add nothing to what James Bennet told the Post except to say that Greenberg is quite obviously an indecent person who should not be working in magazine journalism. Every so often, journalists become deranged at the sight of certain candidates, and lose their bearings. ... What I find truly astonishing is the blithe way in which she has tried to hurt this magazine."

This isn't the first time Ms. Greenberg has used photos to make a political statement. In 2004, she made toddlers cry for pictures she used in an anti-Bush exhibit entitled "Four More Years."