Cleveland.coms ad for their text alert uses the same stock image they use in stories about the danger and illegality of texting while driving. It shows a distracted driver heading into cross traffic.

  • Cleveland.com’s ad for their text alert uses the same stock image they use in stories about the danger and illegality of texting while driving. It shows a distracted driver heading into cross traffic.

Every media outlet, including this one, will use recycled stock images in posts when there’s nothing better to use, but it’s tough to think cleveland.com could have picked out a worse one for their post promoting their new text alerts.

As some reddit users have pointed out, the photo illustration they use is of a guy who’s about to drive into traffic because he’s too distracted by text messages. Imminent danger is implied: left hand on the wheel, right hand on his phone in his eye line, cross traffic in his path. Another user points out cleveland.com used that in a 2012 story about Ohio banning texting while driving.

I did a google image search and found a bunch of other times the cleveland.com used the Associated Press stock photo, all in the context of the illegality and danger of texting and driving. Here are screenshots of the 11 times they’ve used it since 2011:

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This article appears in Jan 1-7, 2014.

Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.

One reply on “Picture of Text-Messaging Driver About To Crash Used To Promote Cleveland.com Text Message Alerts”

  1. You have to wonder if the source for the clip-art has any limits on the usage of a photo.

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