Newspaper proofs do not have everything on the page reproduced full size and then have the headline — too large to fit the page at that resolution — digitally reduced to fit on the page. That isn’t a proof. That is an altered copy.

Newspaper proofs are either full size exact copies printed on separate full-sived (or sometimes oversized) sheets of paper, or the whole page is digitally reduced to fit on a smaller sheet of paper for convenience and expense.

In either case, they do not include a full-sized replica of the page with the headline separately reduced to fit.

Occam’s Razor — if Granma sent a “proof,” why send it on a paper size that Granma doesn’t use? A proof on 11″x22″ paper (if that is available in Cuba) would have been shrunk digitally to fit on the page. A proof on newsprint would have used the newsprint at hand, i.e., the same size newspaper that Granma prints on.

By the way, I would have more confidence in your claimed credential as a “newspaper editor” if you were not using a hotmail address and posting anonymously.

And as a matter of fact, a job I had a few years ago involved advertising and I’ve actually seen newspaper proofs. They *never* included a full-sized mockup of the page with the headline reduced to fit. That would have been an absurd waste of money and time on something that was basically a quick throw-away.

Approval of a story happens long before a mockup is made. It happens based on the copy that is written, not on how things will look once it is printed. If you are trying to get approval for how something looks — then you deliver an exact copy.

All newspapers pass via this step in being produced.

Sorry to bring the bad news, but I know what I am talking about.

Granma is the official Cuban Communist Party newspaper. It is state controlled.

Did you look at the overlay photo in ths article?

That is an overlay of the same Granma front page Castro is purportedly holding up. The headline and masthead are red.

Also — and fairly conclusive evidence that what Castro is holding cannot simply be a B%W “proof” copy of the newspaper — are the following points shown in the overlay photo:

1. The masthead can be lined up and is the same size, although the color differs.

2. The photo of Castro on the front page lines up exactly in terms of size as well, and at the same magnification factor as needed to line up the masthead. (The photo is slightly out of register, however, when the masthead is lined up. Evidence that the front page was digitally put on the released Castro photo.)

3. The columns of text below the Castro photo on the front page line up and are the same size as well.

4. What does *not* line up is the headline. When you try to put it on the faked newspaper, the headline stretches considerably past the width of the newspaper page. That means that the headline had to be digitally reduced.

It is illogical to assume that a proof copy of a newspaper would have a headline that was digitally reduced. You would either reduce everything so that it would fit on the page in reduced size, or you would allow the healine to over-run the edge of the page and view the rest of the text and graphics at full size.

The fact that the headline does not match up makes it impossible to have been a photocopy of a real Granma, or a proof copy, or a master set, or any other benign explanation.

It is a deliberate fake.

I’m not certain if the “staple” at the top of the page is an actual staple or if it is something left over on the print that was improperly erased off of the real newspaper page before the Granma front page was pasted on digitally.

And yes, it is sloppy work. It might come from a mind-set of usually not being questioned and therefore not worrying about details.

My main question is why such a clumsy fake was put out. Something apparently made it seem necessary to the people responsible for it — and it has all of the signs of a hasty job that wasn’t thought through or checked enough.

There is something going on in Cuba behind the scenes that made the risk of issuing a fake worth taking.

Does anyone here read or have access to printed Granma?

It seems to me there are some key questions which would provide statistical evidence for whether this photo is, as presented, a recent one of Castro holding a late proof, or instead more than a few weeks (even months) old:

1) Does Granma often print a section like this? What portion of Granma covers are readily datable from headline or photo, and what portion are vague and could be set up well ahead of time for such a (fraudulent) dating purpose?

2) Does Granma almost always have color on the front of such sections? Was the photo supposed to be obviously a B&W proof, or did someone think it would actually be seen as Castro holding a printed copy? (I would guess the former, since the latter really requires gross incompetence.)

3) If the photo was to depict Castro with a printed Granma, presumably the printed one was supposed to be in B&W (assuming minimal competence). Did Granma “happen” to print color this time when the plan was for B&W in order to complete the ruse? This would say something about the political position of Granma’s leader(s). I do not know who controls Granma, presumably of course one or more Party members.

Miles

I think, the newspaper in the hand of Fidel is a previous-day-photocopy. Thats why the size and a colours are different. There are more simple answers than a conspiracy theory

The WBC Cuban team has a different uniform in 2006 than 2002. He might have worn the 2002 one… but you’d think you’d update.

General WBC Uniform
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2006/marzo/lun20/13final.html

Castro with team (shows General Outfit… one guy has their jacket on)
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2006/marzo/lun6/11recibe.html

1) Picture may not from 2002, but more recent. I could see this picture taken this year. When and Why you say? During the WBC (Spring 2006). He’d be proud of their sucesses. I could picture Castro holding up a headling like “Cuba Wins vs _____ ” or something. I did a cursory search, but you’d have to have the originals of Granma and check out the front page and the sports sections. Only damper is that in my search I did find Castro and Raul in a team photo. Castro wore the ‘Green General’ outfit for the team photo. Not the Cuba jacket.

2) The Granma & the White Border.
Since when is there so much white border around the front page like that? It’s a waste. I don’t have any of the back issues except this one I found on the net. http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/571.cfm
That is using a lot more of the surface area.
If I’m right; this is the only one? They knew they wanted to photoshop this around so they made this issue with the uber thick white border around the paper. Only back Issues of present Granma can confirm! Anyone have last weeks, etc?