The Express's 'Frozen Planet' moment

The Daily Express is well known for its wild weather predictions. But the paper was caught out over the weekend using an old photograph on its front page, apparently to support claims the UK was in the grips of far heavier snowfall than it really way (see: Haven't ice seen you somewhere before?).

The paper used an old photo of a snow plough clearing blizzards in Cumbria but claimed the picture was taken on Friday. A quick Google image search confirmed the photo had been used in 2012 by both the Express and the Daily Mail.

It's unclear whether this was just a cock-up. The Express does have previous for putting the wrong picture on its front page. But given the Express's lust for dramatic weather headlines it's all too easy to believe it was over-eagerness to stand up claims of 'snowmageddon'.

False impression

In the past, the Express has been quick to highlight instances of other media outlets misleading their audiences, whether by accident, oversight or design.

In 2011 the paper suggested the BBC had misled "millions of viewers" with images in documentary series Frozen Planet which had actually been filmed in a zoo.

The Express quoted John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee who said it was:

"...hugely disappointing that viewers were misled. My view has always been that all broadcasters should not seek to give viewers a false impression."

Quite right. And the same should be true of newspapers. The BBC faced questioning from MPs over its fake images. It will be interesting to see if the Express even manages a clarification in its own newspaper in the coming days.