DealBreaker Investigates: Canned Panic Photos

panicfarce.jpgAs usual, our readers have the best analysis on The Street. So when we caught this comment lurking in today's Opening Bell feature, we decided to go hunting. Sure enough, it takes all of five minutes to uncover traders of every background palm-slapping their foreheads. But a DealBreaker special investigation reveals a dark and shameful secret of financial journalism: the widespread use of canned, panic trader images.

We surveyed the major news sites and culled 5 "panic trader" pictures in about fifteen minutes. Another 10 minutes on "Getty Images" and "iStockphoto" gave us matches on four. Yes, dear readers, most panic trader pictures aren't even from the correct day.

Yes, our hard-hitting investigation reveals that the news media is faking panic. Why? Stay tuned to DealBreaker for more info, back to you, Bess.

Comments

1

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:03PM

is it time to take gains on short ETFs yet?

2

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:09PM

BASTARDS!
FUCKING BASTARDS!
And to think I looked at those photos and believed. I believed I tell you.

I'm not going to take it.
You're not going to take it.
We're not going to take it.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyu7nN3kBnw&feature=related


SPODE

3

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:10PM

@ 1 sell SKF at 150

4

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:11PM

back to you Bess? Is this a thinly veiled attempt to fuel threesome fantasies?

5

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:32PM

Here are some fresher photos.

http://sadguysontradingfloors.tumblr.com/

6

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:39PM

Gah. Traders 'panic' every day. Even on the best days for the dow you could get photos of people being upset because of how much they lost. And, don't most of the photos look like guys yawning or just rubbing their eyes? The photos could be used for a sleep deprivation study. CNN sux! Bess, nice investigative journalism.

7

Posted by ep , Oct 08, 2008 12:43PM

"Bess, nice investigative journalism."

Bite me, nimrod.

8

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:44PM

Here's what washingtonpost.com put on their front page.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/homepage/hp10-8-08e.jpg

9

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:49PM

@6 is an idiot. learn to read a byline.

10

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 12:52PM

@7

That's hot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRgtofyvUIA

11

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 1:28PM

The page editors panicked under deadline pressure so resorted to canned photos. I would be skeptical if they start publishing black and white photos showing Jed and Ellie Mae suffering through this economic downturn...I don't care how low the price of crude goes.

12

Posted by Anal_yst , Oct 08, 2008 1:41PM

Bigger sheep: Average, run-of-the-mill journalist attempting to cover Finance or the people reading their bs under the impression that said journalist actually knows what he/she is talking about?

13

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 1:51PM

just google "stockmarket trader" and that's all you get! Last week, I was making a school presentation for my son who said he wants to be a "stockmarket guy."

All I could find was these panic stricken photos, nothing of guys just busy or intently looking at screens.

Here's why, most photographers/journalists are liberal pukes that have never made more than $30,000 in a year .. so they delight in all this. Its the same way they treat soldiers in the media.

14

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 1:54PM

Or my favorite panic photo - JUMP...

http://jtaplin.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/jumpyoufuckers1222783461.jpg?w=450&h=300

15

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:02PM

I would bite EP, but 7 made an honest mistake. EP fooled us this time. Typically, her sentences are longer than this post

16

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:17PM

Anal: sides of the same coin?

17

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:29PM

This blogpost has been done before. You can almost say that it was plagiarized. The first guys to do it were at the following. Date stamps don't lie.

www.magicrockla.com/blog

18

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:29PM

This blogpost has been done before. You can almost say that it was plagiarized. The first guys to do it were at the link below. Date stamps don't lie.

www.magicrockla.com/blog

19

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:30PM

This blogpost has been done before. You can almost say that it was plagiarized. The first guys to do it were at the link below. Date stamps don't lie.

www.magicrockla.com/blog

20

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:31PM

This blogpost has been done before. You can almost say that it was plagiarized. The first guys to do it were at the link below. Date stamps don't lie.

www.magicrockla.com/blog

21

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:32PM

This blogpost was plagiarized from
www.magicrockLA.com/blog

22

Posted by guest , Oct 08, 2008 2:33PM

This post has already been done pretty much.

www.magicrockLA.com/blog

24

Posted by guest , Oct 10, 2008 9:33AM

You think the WSJ read this post? Cover picture caption on C1 today:

"Traders at a post on NYSE floor Thursday"

The end of canned photos?

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