With the appearance of digital photography, reports has become closer and more instant. with digital photography comes digital photograph modifying, and the likelihood of a photograph that doesn't reflect the truth. One strategy for faking stories photographs is cloning. This may be utilized in humourous ways like putting Oprah Winfrey's head on Ann Margaret's body, as done by Television Guide in 1989. A few mags have used this trick to make a point, and they typically document it in the credits (as in, image by one individual, and head shot by another). Cloning is also used to make photograph montages--which may give the impression of things that did not actually happen. Manhattan Newsday combined pictures of Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan into single shot that seemed to show them skating together.

Again, the mag admitted to it, by calling it a "composite image.". LA Times vet cameraman Brian Walski used montage methodologies to mix 2 different photographs, making it look like an infantryman in Iraq was threatening non combatants. Walski was fired for "improving" on his picture. Even an easy adjustment in lightness can change the meaning of a photograph.

Both Time and Newsweek put OJ Simpson's mug shot on their covers, but Time darkened the picture. This made Simpson appear much more threatening on the cover of Time than Newsweek, since Newsweek failed to adjust the image. The eyes of the picture had been sharpened or brightened far past the right level, and the result gave her a feindish glare.