Last week I posted a blog about comedian Al Franken joining the Senate (here), including a picture of Franken wearing bunny ears and a diaper.

Franken did many things on Saturday Night Live that could be embarrassing to a Senator. But apparently, that was not one of them. It turns out the picture was photoshopped.

We don’t knowingly run false pictures, so I took it down and replaced it with another goofy picture of Sen. Franken…

Not much of an apology/correction. Plus, it’s wrong: his post from last week has been scrubbed from the site.

Thanks, Romenesko!

UPDATE July 7: The Cincinnati Beacon today posted a good timeline of events:

1.  Bronson uploads the fake photo and presents it as real.
2.  The problem is brought to his attention.
3.  Bronson tries to avoid doing the right thing, issuing this comment on the now deleted blog post:

PeterBronson wrote:
Yes, the photo of Franken in a diaper was apparently altered. But it’s not exacly a big reach to believe it could have come from one of his SNL skits. It resonates because people find it easy to see Franken that way.
7/6/2009 10:46 AM EDT

4.  Bronson’s bad behavior is picked up nationally by media watchdog groups.
5.  The original post is deleted.
6.  An apology is issued, pointing back to a blank page since the evidence has been removed from Enquirer’s servers.

After spending his career as a professional columnist with a major daily paper, I expect more straightforward and ethical behavior from Peter Bronson.