... um, don't do this:

El Nuevo Herald, McClatchy's Spanish-language Miami daily, manipulated two photos, combining them into one, Miami New Times says.

The photo appeared to show two Cuban cops ignoring four prostitutes who were hailing a foreign tourist.

It pushed an anti-Castro agenda in a newspaper advertised by its new owners, McClatchy and Co., as the "most-honored, highest-circulation Spanish-language newspaper in the continental United States."

And, perhaps worse, higherups at El Nuevo overrode the objections of veteran photographer Roberto Koltun, who snapped both pictures several years ago in Cuba (and didn't return a call seeking comment). "Two things were put together," commented photo coordinator Orlando Mellado. "[Koltun] expressed concern about it for that reason and others. He basically didn't want it used."

But they apparently didn't do so good a job of it, the New Times points out:

In the doorway, there is a sharp variation in light between the right and left sides. Note the difference in perspective between the police officers and prostitutes. The police officers cast shadows. The prostitutes don't.

Editor of the Séptimo Día section, Andrés Reynaldo, explains:

"Our intention was to make a photomontage that included photos from several sources. We committed two errors: the graphic treatment did not correspond to that intention exactly, and we did not publish the proper credit," Reynaldo said.

One piece of evidence that shows the photographic composition was not done with a view to manipulating reality is that in the zone where the two photos are united, between the man with cap and the girl with shorts, a blurry strip can be seen, and there, underneath the hair of the small one, appears a shoe (noticeable with the circle) that corresponds to another man in the other photo, according to the editors. In addition, a close analysis of the photomontage shows that there is no continuity in the line of the sidewalk, added the editors.

They also have a slideshow of the photos in question.

>Listen Up, McClatchy [Miami New Times]