Cristina Oliver i Atar was a diver for the Barcelona Swimming Club (CNB), an absolute champion of Catalonia and Spain, and an international champion with various European awards in the children's and youth categories. She addressed the Readers' Ombudsman with an email as neat and well-argued with evidence as it was devastating in her complaint: we published a photo of her but stated at the bottom that she was someone else.
"I would like to contact you to raise an issue regarding the incorrect use and identification of a certain image that appeared in your newspaper on May 22 of this year in the digital version and on social media (Instagram). Specifically, one of those used in the article published by Toni Padilla with the title: "The most iconic photograph of Barcelona 92 is of a sport we can't practice in the city.". A photo of a female diver performing a jump with the image of Barcelona in the background has been added to the article. The digital version says it's British diver Tracey Miles during a 1992 diving competition at the Montjuïc Municipal Swimming Pool. The diver featured is me, Cristina Oliver, and Atar.
Mrs. Oliver details me point by point like the magazine Time took that photo of a "front angel with a half twist", which is known as "jump 5111A", while Tracey Miles does a "back angel" (found on the Internet), and the Games and official competitions in general are done from higher platforms than the one in the photo, Pedro. The Vanguard, with Oliver on a background of Barcelona, were made before the Games and with her, who could do it because she was not focused on not participating.
Toni Padilla tells me that the photo was originally an illustration for an Instagram post, which wasn't reviewed in the Sports section, but the article didn't mention the jumper—the topic was different—and it was misreported by the agencies. "Detecting the error was very difficult, especially when the article doesn't mention her."
Journalistic routines assume that news agencies are reliable, and at least until now, it was normal not to check authoritative and reliable sources; there is no mourning. But this practice must change in line with the emergence of artificial intelligence, a topic discussed at the last international meeting of Readers' Advocates. I would add that, in the case of personal names and images, we must be careful even beyond AI. The Virtual Classroom of the College of Journalists barely announces a class that covers "strategies for verifying visual and textual sources."
The right to one's own image has already accumulated so much jurisprudence that even photographs taken at school end-of-year festivals—now we're here—have been subject to regulation. Misrepresenting people's names, on the other hand, is a fundamental error, because we are who we are and we have the right to be who we are; so much so that birth certificates, although intrinsically, logically speaking, durable, are usually valid for three to six months, which is what they are guaranteed.
I end as Cristina Oliver's letter ends, I can't see a better ending to associate with the beauty of the image of her jump:
"The image that the ARA used is iconic, like so many others from those Olympic Games. Images in which many people, athletes and volunteers, participated. I think it would be fair to recognize the people who collaborated. And as a final note, I think such an iconic image should also be a source of pride and recognition."
One flower does not make a summer or the curse of generalizations
Reader Pilar Cervera sent me this email: "I am referring to "Enraonem" by Ms. Carla Turró on Saturday (May 31) with Ms. Alba CardaldaWith all due respect to this psychologist and neuroscientist, I find her opinion that "generations born before 2000 are emotionally illiterate" to be very inaccurate. Perhaps she feels this way, but I find her generalization very strong and inaccurate. I am 80 years old, have three children, seven grandchildren (aged 25 to seven), and many friends of different ages and generations, and I can confirm that what she says is not true.
First of all, the Reader's Ombudsman must clarify that opinions are sacred and fortunately remain outside his jurisdiction except in cases – already discussed in the section from last May 11th– that are offensive, insulting, or violate the right to honor, which is ignored. In my role, therefore, I have to ensure that everyone at ARA can have their say, whether in signed articles or in the interview genre, where the journalist must be scrupulously faithful to what the interviewee says, as Carla Turró does. There are media outlets or professionals who even allow interviews to be read before publishing them and, if they involve sensitive topics, go so far as to request the interviewee's signature.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," wrote Claude-Adrien Helvétius—and not Voltaire, as is often quoted—however, having disregarded this essential principle of freedom of expression, our most precious asset, I will warn against generalizations in journalism. Passively: the interviewee has every right to attribute emotional illiteracy to those over twenty-five, and in a range of fields as wide as generations, but journalism must be careful when it is the interviewee who is the speaker. The question that does concern me, then, is to warn against generalizations when they are our own, not those of the collaborators or interviewees, but those of the journalists, and which become perverse when criminal acts, which, according to criminal law, are the work of only their perpetrators, extend to a vulnerable group such as immigrants from this or that country.
Sometimes, an induction is made from a pair of sources, elevating the subject to the collective of which he or she belongs, and naturally, the margin of error accumulates; as the philosopher Keyserling wrote, "to generalize is always to be wrong." As the Catalan proverb says, as aptly as ever: "One flower does not make a summer."
The Readers' Ombudsman pays attention to doubts, suggestions, criticisms and complaints about the contents of the newspaper in its digital and paper editions, and ensures that the treatment of information is in accordance with the codes of ethics.
By contact the Readers' Ombudsman You can send an email to eldefensor@ara.cat or record a message of no more than one minute on WhatsApp at 653784787. In all cases, identification with your name, surname, and ID number is required.
