The thing is we already know the media is lazy and just lifts whatever photos they can find to make their stories look better. But laziness does not mean the news from the front is false, it could also be due to lack of footage and photos of what is currently happening. If I am at war, I would probably not want my current position revealed for instance and journalists are probably not on the front lines taking photos. I think we just have to admit that we don't know what is happening for sure.