I Hate When This Happens

It doesn't take more than five seconds to fact check whether the vehicles in this photo are tanks or not. They aren't. But that's not what the caption says:

Caption:Deir Kifa, LEBANON: French soliders with the UNIFIL drive AuF1 tanks of 155mm near Tyre on their way from Beirut to the French base in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Kifa 22 September 2006. Hezbollah and its allies will hold a massive "victory" rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut after the devastating war with Israel amid suspense over whether the group's chief Hassan Nasrallah will emerge from hiding. Hezbollah's hardcore supporters were taking the coastal road to Beirut from southern Lebanon since yesterday, on foot as well as by car, for today's show of strength, while the government complained of renewed Israeli violations of its airspace and threatened to resort to the UN Security Council if Israel does not complete its troop pullout by the end of next week. (EDS NOTE: ADDING DATE TO CAPTION) AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

This is an AFP photo, which means that someone has to check the accuracy of the caption. And it didn't take me more than five seconds to realize that those vehicles weren't tanks, but self propelled artillery. How is it that someone who has never served in the military can figure this out within moments of seeing these photos? Well, it's from reviewing military affairs for years, and knowing what a basic tank configuration looks like and what self propelled artillery looks like.

Yet, the AFP and other media outlets, which see these vehicles on a regular basis can't even keep this straight? Fact check on aisle six.