16 files 121 sources cited 0 corrections Every claim sourced 23 August 2026
Staged

Topic

Tag: image economics

The Machine

The $35-an-hour private jet

A plywood fuselage in Boyle Heights rents for less than dinner. A real grounded Gulfstream costs twelve times more. The economics of the fake-jet studio, and the correction the press never printed.

The Machine

Who pays for the candid photo

A publicist says he paid a star $50,000 for a couple of street shots. A declared sponsored post from the same tier costs over $1M. That gap explains the whole staged-candid economy.