I'm not implying its a "conspiracy." It happened, but likely not in exactly the way it is being reported in the news.

From what I've seen, this looks like it was engineered for sensationalized media consumption. The photos, press conference, celebrity/politican PR releases etc. indicate to me that someone wanted this to blow up to make a point -- it didn't really happen organically in the way that the press is making you believe. If you are actually interested in how these stories end up making headlines, I would recommend reading "Trust Me, I'm Lying." It completely changed my perspective on our media and why it emphasizes the things that it does.