Journalist hurt by doctored photographs

A vicious attack intended to damage the character of journalist Zhinga Greaves has been launched on the Internet.{{more}}

Since Friday, May 14, 2010, 33 doctored images of nude bodies with Greaves’ face attached to them have been circulating on the World Wide Web.

A distraught Greaves’ visited SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday to clear her name.

She believes the photos of her face were copied from those that she has on her account on the popular social network Facebook.

“I am in a relationship with one person. I am not with somebody’s man. I am not a thief. I am not going around spreading vicious lies on anybody. I just live,” said Greaves, adding, “This is why this is so astonishing.”

Greaves first became aware of the attack on her character last Friday morning when someone called her boyfriend and told him of the situation.

She said when she saw the photos she felt: “disbelief, angry, and hurt.

“I felt disbelief. I think more than anything that somebody can hate you that much to not just try to humiliate you, but to humiliate you on a national level. Not even just local but on an international level,” said Greaves, noting that persons from the United States, Jamaica, and Canada have contacted her about the photos.

Greaves is of the view that even though people know the photos are fake, the question is how they see her when she passes by.

“It is extremely hurtful,” sighed Greaves, adding, “I feel like you don’t know who to trust. Like not being so open to people. I ask myself if maybe I’ve been too open to people. If I should just limit my circle.

“I don’t know if it is a man who did it. I don’t know if it is some obsessive man or if it is some hateful, spiteful woman. I don’t know where to begin,” said Greaves.

She said it is even more hurtful that people although recognizing the photos are unreal are still forwarding the photos to others and have been adding comments.

Greaves, a public servant appointed to the Agency for Public Information (API), has reported the matter to the police who have launched an investigation into the attack.

“Once a culprit has been identified, I intend to take it as far as possible, legally speaking,” Greaves promised.

“The person who did that didn’t think that I have a child, that I have family? They didn’t think of the consequences of their action, or maybe they did. Maybe it was meant to discredit, to debase, to humiliate,” said Greaves.

Greaves said the malicious attack on her raises the question of social network use.

She is using the opportunity to warn the Vincentian public to be careful who they allow into their network.

“I think in anything good there is always the potential for people to use it for bad,” said Greaves, noting that the onus is on everyone to be more careful with their privacy settings and to be more vigilant with who they allow to view their account.

“Whoever is the culprit, more than anything I just want to know, why?” asked Greaves.

Greaves expressed her gratitude to persons who have granted her support in this stressful period. She said the support from her co-workers has been incredible.

Her advice to the culprit(s) is that there will be no winner in this situation. (HN)