In February 2007, the Associated Press agency released a photograph showing two polar bears taking refuge on a piece of ice to illustrate a UN report on global warming. The image was so striking that it was republished by countless press outlets and used by Al Gore in his presentation on global warming. Furthermore, the photograph was accompanied by statements about “the wonderful animals that are literally being pushed into oblivion” (Gore), and sympathetic comments about bears “clinging precariously to what is left of an ice floe” (Daily Mail). However, media critics soon pointed out that the circumstances under which the photograph was taken did not quite match the way the image was being interpreted.
In a sense, one could even say that ⟦absolutely everything⟧ about this image was misunderstood. The photograph was perceived and presented as a report on current events, but it had been taken two and a half years before the moment the Associated Press decided to use it. The time lag was also significant because the photograph was taken in August, when it is warmest in the Arctic and melting ice floes are nothing out of the ordinary. Therefore, the image could not be considered evidence that polar bears are facing a catastrophe and that immediate action is needed to prevent rapid global warming.