Norwegian photojournalist Jonas Bendiksen, who was acclaimed at the international “Visa pour image” festival in Perpignan (France), revealed in Magnum Photos that he had completely fabricated his report on the Fake News factory in Veles (North Macedonia) [1].

He described how he himself falsified all his photos, creating imaginary figures on empty backgrounds, to demonstrate that it is possible to trick even the greatest experts.

The director of the French festival, Jean-Francois Leroy, has apologized to the photography industry, claiming to have been deceived despite his alertness and that of his team.

Experience shows that photographs are no longer proof of anything.

[1] "The Book of Veles : How Jonas Bendiksen Hoodwinked the Photography Industry", Jonas Bendiksen, Magnum Photos, September 17, 2021.