Russian Documentary Uses Team Fortress 2 Fan-Art as US Propaganda

In a fantastic example of the importance of checking your work, a Russian documentary about World War I has used a piece of Team Fortress 2 Fan-art as an example of early 20^th century anti-German propaganda.

The 51-minute Russian-language documentary, entitled “Первая Мировая” (“The First World War”), was published on YouTube on Sept. 2 by Star Media. Soon after its debut, Russian blogger Nikita Likhacehev noticed that, at the 9:58 mark, a piece of Team Fortress 2 fan-art was used as an example of an American propaganda poster alongside actual posters from the era. The poster, entitled “Pro-Demoman Propaganda Poster,” was made in 2009 by DeviantArt user TankTaur as part of his entry in Valve’s Team Fortress 2 Propaganda contest. TankTaur’s other entry, “Anti-Soldier Propaganda Poster,” was a runner-up in the contest, winning the prestigious “Most Convincing Argument for Evolution” award.

TankTaur did a great job of re-creating the look, colors and overall feel of early 20^th century propaganda posters, but the documentarian’s use of the incongruous artwork is inexcusable on several levels. The use of the word “Demoman” in the poster should have been a red flag to someone in the Star Media organization, even if they are not native English speakers (Google Translate; do you think I knew what "Первая Мировая” meant?). Additionally, the use of an artist’s creation without permission or credit is illegal and unethical. A boneheaded mistake like this is enough to make viewers question the validity of the entirety of the film.