Uh, No
Photo caption incompetence from the Associated Press (and here and here):
Not even close. The helicopter in the photo is a unmistakably a variation of the UH-60 transport helicopter, with a four-bladed rotor and slick sides. That any self-respecting photo editor covering a military beat could mistake that helicopter for the distinctive, menacing shape of the twin-seater Super Cobra attack helicopter boggles the imagination. Bonus: Soldier, hold your fire and clear your muzzle. Kabooms are not fun, however they are caused. Update from the Associated Press: Paul Colford, Director of Media Relations for the Associated Press writes via email:
A Turkish army Super Cobra helicopter flies over an artillery unit and its crew after taking off from a military base in Cukurca in Hakkari province at the Turkey-Iraq border, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, Turkish F-16 fighters and helicopters flew into northern Iraq on Sunday as elite commandos shake Kurdish rebels in a major ground operation across the border that has drawn criticism from the U.S.-backed-Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdish leaders.
(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Credit where credit is due, the erroneous captions were replaced later the same afternoon, though it still boggles the mind that such a mistake was made in the first place.
The photo captions you have challenged on your site were corrected (to Black Hawk) at 5:21 p.m. yesterday, such as this one: Caption ** CORRECTS HELICOPTER TYPE ** A Turkish army Black Hawk helicopter flies over an artillery unit and its crew after taking off from a military base in Cukurca in Hakkari province at the Turkey-Iraq border, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, Turkish F-16 fighters and helicopters flew into northern Iraq on Sunday as elite commandos shake Kurdish rebels in a major ground operation across the border that has drawn criticism from the U.S.-backed-Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdish leaders. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 05:11 PM
Comments
1
In 2003 I saw a self-propelled 155mm howitzer on the front page of USA Today identified as a "Bradley Fighting Vehicle." I'm sure the redlegged crew of the artillery unit were pleased to be confused with infantry.
Posted by: Tertium Quid at February 25, 2008 05:24 PM (HqqaH)
2
An egregious error to be sure. At least they fessed up and fixed it...
Posted by: Diogenes at February 25, 2008 08:28 PM (QbqbX)
3
AP is incompetent -- whodathunkit?
Posted by: Purple Avenger at February 25, 2008 09:58 PM (ERV3B)
4
A typical mistake one might expect from a civilian.
Why, then, they don't have anyone on staff to check these sorts of things... well, it's definitely a blind spot on their part.
Why, then, they don't have anyone on staff to check these sorts of things... well, it's definitely a blind spot on their part.
Posted by: Russ at February 25, 2008 10:18 PM (9X0tX)
5
Without allowing a false compromise, it's good on them to make some effort to correct.
Posted by: brando at February 25, 2008 11:02 PM (rDQC9)
6
one AT at Club Bob, the PAO troggs and the local fish wrap did up a propaganda rag "for the troops"....
there on the front page was an M109-A3, labeled as a "tank".
nice to see someone's still using the M-110-A2. %-)
there on the front page was an M109-A3, labeled as a "tank".
nice to see someone's still using the M-110-A2. %-)
Posted by: redc1c4 at February 26, 2008 01:38 AM (drSp1)
7
They can fool me and most other people. Good on those who caught the mistake. Unfortunately, journalists' ignorance of what they are writing about is not confined to military affairs.
Posted by: Gringo at February 26, 2008 11:35 AM (quBK7)
8
They simply, reflexively, and catatonically, didn't even want to use the much feared and hated words "Black hawk" - because it might accidentally lend credibility to the organization...
Posted by: DirtCrashr at February 26, 2008 02:09 PM (VNM5w)
9
Truthfully, while a hoot for those of use who recognize aerochines, it's a trivial error, don't you think ?
Yes, a Cobra is a gunship, but the caption you posted did not make mention of that. So I didn't get the impression that AP was trying to inflate things.
I suspect that the photog did, in fact, see a Cobra or two earlier that day, and asked "uhhh, what are those ?"
When the answer came back "Cobra," every rotary-wing bird he saw that day became another Cobra.
My $0.02
Yes, a Cobra is a gunship, but the caption you posted did not make mention of that. So I didn't get the impression that AP was trying to inflate things.
I suspect that the photog did, in fact, see a Cobra or two earlier that day, and asked "uhhh, what are those ?"
When the answer came back "Cobra," every rotary-wing bird he saw that day became another Cobra.
My $0.02
Posted by: 1charlie2 at March 02, 2008 07:17 PM (pDkg5)
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