"Seek the truth and the truth will set you free"

In our post-fact, Fox News world, "truth" is not only relative, it's virtually irrelevant in some quarters.

The photo posted here is demonstrably fake.

It's purported to show an immigration rally in Arizona and to reveal the true feelings of illegal immigrants in America.

The truth of the matter is, this photo wasn't even taken in Arizona, but in Los Angeles.

As to the incendiary message on this marcher's sign -- it is fake.

The picture has circulated via email, but has been published on the Family Security Matters Web site.

I wrote to Family Security Matters informing them that they had published a demonstrably fake photograph. I sent them concrete evidence of the fakery and asked for a comment; asked if they planned to publish any sort of retraction.

Here's what Adrian Morgan, Editor, had to say:

Thank you for your communication.

As it has been on the website for some time, I do not intend to go back and remove it now, many months after it first appeared. The photo was submitted in good faith, and accepted as such. Your sources that you quote seem to have rather a lot of bias against Fox News, but that is irrelevant. We will certainly NOT be posting any sort of retraction.

If you feel that the picture is - to use your words - an "extremely irresponsible fake photograph," then I suggest you take advantage of our comments section to place your case beneath, and let our readers decide.

And perhaps you could also send an email to Lloyd Marcus informing him of the same.

Thank you for showing some sort of interest in our website.

Interesting.

Adrian admits this point is irrelevant, "Your sources that you quote seem to have rather a lot of bias against Fox News", but I think it really tips the hand of Family Security Matters. That its allegiance to Fox News -- a network that has been exposed innumerable times publishing and broadcasting provably fake information -- is stronger than its allegiance to the truth.

"We will certainly NOT be posting any sort of retraction."

So, Family Security Matters would prefer to have a proven fake photo published on its Web site, rather than an opportunity to exhibit some semblance of ethics and denounce a fake as a fake.

Just because Family Security Matters was fooled by a faked photo doesn't make it an untrustworthy source of information. Many people and news organizations are fooled by manipulated photographs.

What nullifies Family Security Matters as an information source is its desire to clutch to the fake, declare that it doesn't matter that it's fake, and that anyone who would disparage the hallowed name of Fox News (meaning, revealing when Fox is reporting lies) cannot be trusted.

More evidence of our post-fact world: "If you feel that the picture is - to use your words - an 'extremely irresponsible fake photograph". . ."

I don't feel that it's an extremely irresponsible fake. The photo is an extremely irresponsible fake.

Would Family Security Matters have us believe that falsely accusing a person or group of people of being cop killers is not irresponsible?

And finally, I have written to Lloyd Marcus about this photograph accompanying his article on the Family Security Matters Web site. So far, I haven't heard from him.

Whenever I'm writing an article for this blog, the "Who gives a shit?" factor is ever present.

Who cares about Family Security Matters? Who cares about one photograph that's been faked that's circulating among racists?

I've certainly changed no minds at Family Security Matters, nor could I among the people who circulate this image via email.

I write about it because the more fakery that can be uncovered, the better. It's about unmasking bad sources of information.

I refuse to take part in this post-fact world where everyone is entitled to make up their own truth about any subject they please.

Truth does exist and I learned today that, for one, Family Security Matters has little use for it.