Yahoo! News – Rove Rues ‘Mission Accomplished’ Banner: “Last October, Bush said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later clarified that the ship’s crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor. It wasn’t clear who paid for the sign.”
I’ve been a low-end TV producer for long enough to know that grubbing for good pictures is reflex, not science.
For publicists, creating good pictures is the reason they draw a paycheck.