Facebook user Eugene Terrorblanche was at the centre of a rumpus this week over the age, veracity and, surprisingly, newsworthiness of the "hunter" picture.
The Sunday Times was accused of rehashing old news and claims and counter-claims proliferated on the internet, in blogs and on Twitter.
They included:
- That the picture was a hoax and digitally manipulated.
Fact: The photo was staged and both the man and the child were real;
- That the matter was resolved by the police.
Fact: Knysna police only took a statement from the man in the picture.
- That the story was "old" and outdated.
Fact: The story published in 2008 was about a probe by North West University into a racist website in which their students participated. Mention was made of the photo but it was never published prominently.
More importantly, the picture, up until Saturday last week and preceding publication of the Sunday Times story, was posted on Facebook with the user boasting 590 "friends".
The hunt for him is now on and the circumstances behind the photo are being investigated.
- That the man in the picture is also the user called Eugene Terrorblanche.
Fact: This is not known, and the article last week did not make such a statement.
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