US Intelligence Agency Raises Brows For Photoshopping Image To Look More Diverse
Image via ODNI
There are brands and organizations that the public deems not inclusive enough. And then there are those at the other end of the spectrum who might come across as reaching too far.
In hopes to showcase its progress in diversity, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)—an independent intelligence agency that works as the president’s lead adviser for intelligence-related issues—released its 2020 Annual Demographic Report, revealing “key metrics on the [Intelligence Community] IC’s hiring and retention of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, as well as activities and initiatives throughout the IC to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Today ODNI released the Intelligence Community’s Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Demographic Report. Read the report here: https://t.co/B0n2APmvbY pic.twitter.com/IODzDFE7es
— Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) July 8, 2021
In it, the agency shared that people with disabilities make up 11.9% of the civilian workforce in the Intelligence Community, which it oversees, PetaPixel reports. This is an uptick from the 11.5% in 2019.
To better illustrate its statistics, ODNI created a collage of stock images—adding a woman in a wheelchair and a man with a guide dog to a picture of a diverse workforce—for the report’s cover photo. These would help portray for the 11.9% expressed in the study.
Social media users identified the original photo, entitled “Portrait of Multi-Cultural Office Staff Standing in Lobby,” to be from Shutterstock.
Image via Shutterstock
For the disabled persons, the agency used two other stock images: “Beautiful businesswoman with tablet computer in wheelchair on white background” and “Blind young man with guide dog on white background.”
Image via Shutterstock
Image via Shutterstock
The image use probably would have gone unnoticed if the composition didn’t have so many unnatural characteristics, like the color and slightly-off scale of the woman in the wheelchair and the outlined shadow of the man in sunglasses.
Following internet jokes, the agency released a statement with the justification: “The Intelligence Community should reflect the diverse makeup of America and demonstrate that we are fostering an environment where every professional can succeed. Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion is fundamental to our democratic values and critical to meeting the IC’s mission. This takes work every single day. We are committed to doing more to address this critical issue and accelerate our progress.”
The new ODNI cover photo is from a stock photo called “Portrait Of Multi-Cultural Office Staff Standing In Lobby"
— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) July 8, 2021
They photoshopped in a blind man and a girl in a wheelchair pic.twitter.com/b9MOfjTgXa
The dude is so intense he’s casting a shadow on light itself. pic.twitter.com/C9Ea7zLHol
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) July 8, 2021
— Joey Postlewaite (@JoeyPostlewaite) July 8, 2021
DNI Haines statement on the release of the 2020 Annual Demographic Report. pic.twitter.com/gsmqzPDq9Q
— Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) July 8, 2021
[via PetaPixel, images via Shutterstock]
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