Within North Macedonia Hoaxes
How a Fake Documentary Fooled Photography Experts
Jonas Bendiksen used digital people, bears and AI-written text to test whether the photography world could detect a fabricated documentary.
On this page
- How the synthetic photographs were constructed
- Why respected institutions accepted the project
- What the reveal exposed about visual trust
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Introduction
In 2021, acclaimed documentary photographer Jonas Bendiksen released The Book of Veles, a project presented as a visual investigation into the North Macedonian town of Veles and its association with online fake news. The work appeared to be a conventional piece of documentary photojournalism: photographs of local residents, scenes from the town, interviews and explanatory text. Critics praised it, photography festivals exhibited it, and respected institutions treated it as authentic documentary work. Then Bendiksen revealed that much of it was fabricated. The people in the images were digital creations, the bears that appeared throughout the project were computer-generated, and much of the accompanying text had been produced using artificial intelligence. The deception was deliberate, designed to test whether even photography experts could recognise a synthetic documentary. The result became one of the most discussed media hoaxes in contemporary photography, not because it deceived the general public, but because it fooled many of the professionals who normally claim expertise in visual truth.[Jonas Bendiksen]jonasbendiksen.comthe book of velesJonas BendiksenThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles; a 2021 photobook which was widely praised by the documentary photography community, Th…
How the Synthetic Photographs Were Constructed
Bendiksen chose Veles because the town had already become internationally famous after reports that local website operators had profited from publishing misleading political stories during the 2016 United States presidential election. The subject matter gave him a natural setting for a project about deception, truth and credibility.[World Press Photo]worldpressphoto.orgJonas BendiksenWorld Press PhotoThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles was published in April 2021 as a documentary project on the production of fake news i…
Unlike a traditional documentary photographer, however, Bendiksen did not primarily photograph people. He travelled through Veles capturing real streets, buildings and landscapes, but then populated many of those scenes with computer-generated figures created using three-dimensional modelling software similar to that used in video games and visual effects. He also inserted digitally created bears into some images, treating them as symbolic references to Veles, the trickster deity associated with deception in Slavic mythology.[WIRED]wired.comThe project garnered praise until it was revealed by Bendiksen himself that all the people and bears in the images were computer-generate…
The deception extended beyond the photographs themselves. Bendiksen generated the book’s introductory narrative using GPT-2, an early large language model. He assembled and edited the resulting text, but later stated that he had not personally written the prose that readers assumed was documentary reporting. The project therefore combined several layers of synthetic media:
- Real photographs of locations in Veles.
- Computer-generated people inserted into those photographs.
- Computer-generated animals and visual details.
- AI-generated text presented as reportage.
- A documentary framing that encouraged viewers to assume authenticity.[WIRED]wired.comThe project garnered praise until it was revealed by Bendiksen himself that all the people and bears in the images were computer-generate…
The title itself added another layer of deception. It referenced the historical Book of Veles, a purported ancient Slavic text that most historians and linguists regard as a twentieth-century forgery. Bendiksen deliberately linked a modern media fabrication to an older and famous literary forgery.[Magnum Photos]magnumphotos.combook veles jonas bendiksen hoodwinked photography industryMagnum PhotosThe Book of Veles17 Sept 2021 — - Jonas Bendiksen… But today, most historians and linguists conclude that the entire Book…
Why Respected Institutions Accepted the Project
One of the most remarkable aspects of the episode is not that ordinary viewers were fooled, but that experienced photography professionals largely accepted the work at face value.
The Book of Veles was promoted through respected channels, including Magnum Photos, the influential photographic cooperative of which Bendiksen is a member. The project received positive attention from photography publications and was shown at major industry events. Rather than triggering widespread suspicion, it was often praised as a thoughtful documentary investigation into misinformation.[Jonas Bendiksen]jonasbendiksen.comthe book of velesJonas BendiksenThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles; a 2021 photobook which was widely praised by the documentary photography community, Th…
Several factors helped the deception succeed.
The authority of the photographer
Bendiksen was already an internationally recognised documentary photographer with a long professional reputation. Many viewers approached the project assuming that the images had been produced according to established documentary standards because they trusted the creator.[WIRED]wired.comThe project garnered praise until it was revealed by Bendiksen himself that all the people and bears in the images were computer-generate…
The plausibility of the story
Nothing in the project required readers to believe something obviously extraordinary. Veles genuinely existed, it genuinely had a connection to the fake-news phenomenon, and the depicted people appeared to be ordinary residents. The narrative fit what audiences already believed they knew about the town.[World Press Photo]worldpressphoto.orgJonas BendiksenWorld Press PhotoThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles was published in April 2021 as a documentary project on the production of fake news i…
Documentary conventions created credibility
The photographs were presented in familiar documentary formats: portraits, streetscapes, local details and explanatory captions. Audiences often use such visual conventions as shortcuts for judging authenticity. Because the project looked like documentary photography, many viewers treated it as documentary photography.[Los Angeles Review of Books]lareviewofbooks.orgLos Angeles Review of Books Beautiful Lies: The Art of the Deep FakeLos Angeles Review of Books Beautiful Lies: The Art of the Deep Fake
Experts were not actively looking for a trick
Bendiksen later explained that he expected fellow photographers to discover the deception quickly. Instead, many viewers assumed good faith and focused on the project’s social themes rather than scrutinising every image for signs of digital manipulation.[Los Angeles Review of Books]lareviewofbooks.orgLos Angeles Review of Books Beautiful Lies: The Art of the Deep FakeLos Angeles Review of Books Beautiful Lies: The Art of the Deep Fake
The Reveal and the Fake Whistleblower
When the project failed to attract serious scepticism, Bendiksen created another layer of deception.
A mysterious social-media persona named “Chloe Miskin” began accusing him of fraud and questioning the authenticity of the project. The account appeared to be an outsider exposing wrongdoing. In reality, the account itself was part of the stunt and had been created by Bendiksen. Only after this campaign generated attention did he publicly reveal how the project had been made.[jonasbendiksen.com]jonasbendiksen.comthe book of velesJonas BendiksenThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles; a 2021 photobook which was widely praised by the documentary photography community, Th…
The self-exposure transformed the project from a documentary book into a case study about media verification. The revelation caused intense debate within photography circles. Some praised the experiment as a necessary warning about synthetic media. Others argued that it violated professional trust and exploited institutions that had supported the work in good faith.[WIRED]wired.comThe project garnered praise until it was revealed by Bendiksen himself that all the people and bears in the images were computer-generate…
What the Reveal Exposed About Visual Trust
The importance of The Book of Veles lies less in its technical sophistication than in what it demonstrated about human judgement.
For much of photography’s history, photographs carried an assumption of evidential value. Images could be manipulated, but creating convincing fabrications usually required significant expertise. By 2021, advances in computer graphics and machine-generated text had dramatically lowered the barriers to producing realistic false material. Bendiksen’s experiment suggested that even trained professionals struggled to distinguish carefully crafted synthetic content from genuine documentary work.[Taylor & Francis Online]tandfonline.comOpen source on tandfonline.com.
The project highlighted several uncomfortable realities:
- Trust often depends on context and reputation as much as on visual evidence.
- People are more likely to accept information that fits an existing narrative.
- Documentary formats can create credibility even when the underlying material is fabricated.
- Synthetic text and synthetic imagery can reinforce one another, creating an apparently coherent reality.[codastory.com]codastory.comjonas bendiksen book of velesCoda StoryA photographer and artist walk into a fake news factory26 Oct 2021 — Bendiksen revealed that the project's images were syntheti…
Academic research published around the same period found that people frequently struggle to distinguish real images from sophisticated synthetic ones, reinforcing the broader concerns that Bendiksen sought to dramatise.[arXiv]arxiv.orgarXiv More Real than Real: A Study on Human Visual Perception of Synthetic FacesarXiv More Real than Real: A Study on Human Visual Perception of Synthetic Faces
Why the Story Still Matters
Within the history of North Macedonia-related media deceptions, The Book of Veles occupies a distinctive place. Unlike the earlier Veles fake-news industry, which was largely driven by advertising revenue and political engagement, Bendiksen’s project was an intentional artistic and journalistic experiment. Its purpose was not to convince people of a false political claim but to expose weaknesses in the systems used to evaluate truth.[World Press Photo]worldpressphoto.orgJonas BendiksenWorld Press PhotoThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles was published in April 2021 as a documentary project on the production of fake news i…
The project has become a frequently cited example in debates about deepfakes, AI-generated media and the future of documentary photography. As synthetic imagery becomes easier to create, the central question raised by The Book of Veles remains unresolved: if experts can be persuaded by a carefully constructed fiction, what standards of verification will be needed when convincing fabrications become commonplace?[tandfonline.com]tandfonline.comOpen source on tandfonline.com.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: wired.com
Link:https://www.wired.com/story/true-story-bogus-photos-people-fake-news
Source snippet
The project garnered praise until it was revealed by Bendiksen himself that all the people and bears in the images were computer-generate...
2.
Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv More Real than Real: A Study on Human Visual Perception of Synthetic Faces
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.07226
3.
Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.06398
4.
Source: jonasbendiksen.com
Title: the book of veles
Link:https://www.jonasbendiksen.com/books/the-book-of-veles
Source snippet
Jonas BendiksenThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles; a 2021 photobook which was widely praised by the documentary photography community, Th...
5.
Source: worldpressphoto.org
Title: Jonas Bendiksen
Link:https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/2022/Jonas-Bendiksen/1
Source snippet
World Press PhotoThe Book of VelesThe Book of Veles was published in April 2021 as a documentary project on the production of fake news i...
Published: April 2021
6.
Source: kadist.org
Title: Jonas Bendiksen Book of Veles 44
Link:https://kadist.org/work/book-of-veles-44-bojan/
Source snippet
Jonas Bendiksen Book of Veles 44 - BojanBook of Veles artist Jonas Bendiksen travelled to the small city of Veles in North Macedoni...
7.
Source: codastory.com
Title: jonas bendiksen book of veles
Link:https://www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/jonas-bendiksen-book-of-veles/
Source snippet
Coda StoryA photographer and artist walk into a fake news factory26 Oct 2021 — Bendiksen revealed that the project's images were syntheti...
8.
Source: magnumphotos.com
Title: book veles jonas bendiksen hoodwinked photography industry
Link:https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/society-arts-culture/book-veles-jonas-bendiksen-hoodwinked-photography-industry/
Source snippet
Magnum PhotosThe Book of Veles17 Sept 2021 — - Jonas Bendiksen... But today, most historians and linguists conclude that the entire Book...
9.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Book of Veles
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Veles
10.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Jonas Bendiksen
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Bendiksen
11.
Source: lareviewofbooks.org
Title: Los Angeles Review of Books Beautiful Lies: The Art of the Deep Fake
Link:https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/beautiful-lies-the-art-of-the-deep-fake
12.
Source: tandfonline.com
Link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20004214.2024.2340787
13.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/WorldPressPhoto/photos/from-the-book-of-veles-a-documentary-project-on-the-production-of-fake-news-in-v/6004585306244224/
Additional References
14.
Source: psychologytoday.com
Title: the book veles disinformation north macedonia
Link:https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/misinformation-desk/202110/the-book-veles-disinformation-north-macedonia
Source snippet
Psychology TodayThe Book of Veles: Disinformation From North Macedonia5 Oct 2021 — The first is the story of the North Macedonian town of...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLu0ze5L-6E
Source snippet
Election info changes quickly. Verify responses with official sources...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Heather Hughes: the Fake News industry in North Macedonia
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDM2RFtGQyw
Source snippet
65 - Jonas Bendiksen - THE BOOK OF VELES...
17.
Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/p/CS_r_qOMoU0/
18.
Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/p/CT7ATLmMAfq/
19.
Source: gostbooks.com
Link:https://gostbooks.com/products/the-book-of-veles
20.
Source: judithbenhamou.com
Link:https://judithbenhamou.com/the-book-of-veles-its-not-a-photojournalism-masterpiece-its-a-masterpiece-of-fake-news/
21.
Source: amateurphotographer.com
Link:https://amateurphotographer.com/book_reviews/fake-news-how-jonas-bendiksen-hoodwinked-the-photographic-community-with-the-book-of-veles/
22.
Source: magazine.tank.tv
Link:https://magazine.tank.tv/issue-89/features/the-book-of-veles
23.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/Foammagazine/posts/in-the-book-of-veles-jonas-bendiksen-subverts-the-conventions-of-documentary-pho/1014306797407632/
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