Reporting of the recent appalling events in Lebanon have brought into sharp focus the possibility that photos can be digitally altered for for propaganda purposes.

The photographic industry is at pains to stress it has devised easier methods to detect doctored images. For instance, the Economist reported that camera makers have created image-authentication systems, to distinguish distorted images from the originals by attaching codes originating from the data that the picture is made of.

Other specialists use methods such looking at patterns pixels make in a picture by observing intensity and texture, experts can tell whether a picture has been adjusted.

Adobe has been changed to make it easier to establish if an image has been adjusted.

No-one would deny that digital enhancement has many benefits - it’s just that safeguards are needed to guarantee future confidence in photojournalism.