A fake photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Adolf Hitler’s moustache and the Nazi symbol claiming to be the cover image of TIME magazine has gone viral on social media.
Many social media users including Indian journalists have fallen for the fake TIME cover photo. However, the creator of the design has taken to social media to reveal that there was no truth in the image.
The headline of the made-up TIME magazine cover read, “The Return of History.” The sub-headline read, “How Putin shattered Europe’s dreams.”
Time Magazine cover equates Putin with Hitler, as does everyone else#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/Ut3mo1YauY
— LookNoFurther (@LookNoFurther4) February 28, 2022
While the headline and the sub-headline were indeed lifted from the latest cover of TIME magazine, the image was fake. TIME magazine tweeted last week its latest cover design, which was also based on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But the image used for the cover design was of a tank from the new battleground in Ukraine.
TIME’s new cover: How Putin shattered Europe’s dreams https://t.co/jXsRFKrW8B pic.twitter.com/hDJs0ptJs0
— TIME (@TIME) February 25, 2022
Patrick Mulder, whose Twitter bio describes him a graphic designer, later took to the microblogging site to reveal how the viral fake image was created by him. He wrote, “My TIME artwork has gone viral – so I thought it would be appropriate for me to write a little about it. The image is one out of a sequence of three I created on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. I felt the official cover by TIME was uninspired and lacked conviction.”
My TIME artwork has gone viral – so I thought it would be appropriate for me to write a little about it. The image is one out of a sequence of three I created on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. I felt the official cover by TIME was uninspired and lacked conviction. pic.twitter.com/m5P5rorqgt
— Patrick Mulder ???????????????????????????? (@MrPatrickMulder) February 28, 2022
Explaining the reason for creating the viral image, Mulder wrote, “I wanted to create something that added to the conversation around the invasion of Ukraine and captured the public mood. It wasn’t originally intended to be a TIME cover. The finished image was so powerful, I felt that it deserved to be framed in an equally powerful way.”
This is the second edition of a rework I made of this month's TIME magazine cover. I felt the official choice was somewhat uninspired. Watch the process here: pic.twitter.com/O69drD2bAr
— Patrick Mulder ???????????????????????????? (@MrPatrickMulder) February 27, 2022
Meanwhile, Putin is becoming increasingly isolated on the international front with more sanctions being imposed against Russia. The Russian Central Bank on Monday decided to double the interest rate to 20% after the value of the Russian ruble plummeted.
Football’s governing body is considering banning Russia from taking part in this year’s World Cup after several European teams refused to play against them.