"I told him that photo would come back to haunt him."
— Lisa Simpson, The Simpsons, "Simpson Tide"
File photos are used by news organizations to represent the subject of a broadcast story. They're usually selected from a photo library, which means they aren't recent, which in some cases means they can show off a side of somebody that hasn't been seen for a long time.
If you're the writer, this is a prime opportunity for hilarity to ensue, usually in the form of a one-off gag about just how big a looker or fashion victim the person in question was. If you're more sadistic, it can also be a prime opportunity to humiliate the local Butt-Monkey a little more by showing an embarrassing incident they were a victim of.
This may not exclusively be a news media trope. File photos may appear in any archiving field, and are used for any information needs.
Similar to the Unflattering ID Photo and Embarrassing Old Photo, but from a more public angle.
Examples:
Anime & Manga
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero: During the Red Ribbon Army's briefing, a file photo of Vegeta is seen wearing his infamous pink shirt.
Film — Live-Action
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: In the TV news report about Spider-Man stopping the ATM robbery, they show a file photo of "the Spider-Man" which is a shot of him emerging from a porta potty with toilet paper stuck to his boot.
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: A broadcast uses a photo of Happy Hogan from the '90s when he had a horrible mullet. He visibly cringes at the picture when he sees it.
- Roseanne: Discussed when Dan gets arrested for beating up Jackie's abusive boyfriend. Darlene says that the news called for a picture of Dan to run with the story, and snarks "Should I send the one of you dressed as Baby New Year or do you want them to just use your mugshot?"
Video Games
- Not for Broadcast: One of Day 8's headlines announces Sophia Rymmington's appointment as CEO of Rymmington-Svist. Alex has the choice of picking two file photos - a formal graduation photo, or an informal photo of her playing billiards at a party. Picking either will show Sophia as an innovative, cut-throat CEO or a Hard-Drinking Party Girl with outlandish inventions respectively.
- The levels of The Simpsons Hit & Run are introduced with newspapers whose headlines set up the story for that level. One has the player character continuing Marge's investigation which is criticized by the paper. Marge's picture shows her giving birth.
Western Animation
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien: Starting from "Fame" and then turning into a Running Gag: whatever Will Harangue tries to slander Ben Tennyson, with he uses Ben's blurred profile photo. Double points for Ben having a stupid face like someone just hit him.
- Bojack Horseman:
- Per "Bojack Hates The Troops", BoJack's file photo mishap is him sneezing on Marisa Tomei. This becomes a Running Gag where the default photo used in news stories and other files on BoJack is "the sneezing picture."
- To complement BoJack's sneezing picture, the news uses a photo of Diane eating a messy sandwich when discussing her controversial crusade in "Hank After Dark."
- The Critic: One of Jay Sherman's most embarrassing "file photos" is of him in just his undergarments with his foot stuck in a toilet and his eyes having the "red eye" effect.
- DuckTales (2017): "The Ballad of Duke Baloney" shows a news report about Glomgold's disappearance with a photo of him stuffing his mouth with shrimp during a charity auction.
- Gravity Falls: In "Gideon Rises", Grunkle Stan's file photo at the local news station is him dressed in a Big Red Devil costume surrounded by flames. He protests that the photo was "taken out of context".
- Hazbin Hotel: In the pilot episode, "That's Entertainment", when 666 News discusses the turf war between Cherri Bomb and Sir Pentious, the photo of the latter is of him attempting to act like a cool teenager in a reference to the "How do you do, fellow kids?" meme. Later when Angel Dust joins in, his file photo is just the censored cover of one of his pornos.
- In the Jellystone! episode "It's a Mad Mad Mad Rat Race," the news broadcasts a story about the town-wide race to get Lippy and Hardy's treasure. The file photo is of them making out.
- Phineas and Ferb:
- Downplayed with Doofenshmirtz's file photo, which is simply him happily smiling on a beach (or at least a beach background) but is hilariously used when referring to him as an evil doctor.
- A more played straight example is his photo for the planned Doofenshmirtz Bandages, which depicts him looking very sickly.
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe: The file photo for Candace is of her getting pinched by a crab on the beach.
- SpongeBob SquarePants: In "What's Eating Patrick?", a file photo of SpongeBob and Patrick shows SpongeBob sitting in a chair while Patrick is wearing a chair around his neck.
- A perennial joke on Long Runner The Simpsons. To wit:
- Downplayed in "Homer Defined", when Smithers pulls up an old file photo of Homer on hand at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in which he still has hair.
- In "Marge Vs. The Monorail": A photograph of Homer with his mouth stuffed with dozens of cigarettes somehow became his file photo at the local news station.
- In "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two", the file photo the police have of Homer shows him with a black eye, a bandage on his head, and wearing a "Haig in '88" t-shirt.
- "The Springfield Files": Channel 6 News uses a file photo of Homer that shows him with his tongue stuck to a lamppost.
- "Simpson Tide": Channel 6 again shows Homer in Red Square, dressed to the nines in an ushanka and fur coat doing That Russian Squat Dance with a bottle of vodka in one hand. Especially bad considering he's accidentally steered a nuclear submarine into Russian territory.
- "Treehouse of Horror IX": In "Hell Toupée", after his death at the hands of Homer (possessed by Snake), Channel 6 shows a photo of Moe Syzlak caught hitching up his pants while coming out of an outhouse.
- In "A Tale of Two Springfields", the "file photo" of Homer and his friends sitting on a stoop spoofs The Who's album cover of Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy.
- In "The Great Louse Detective", it shows a picture of Homer angrily shaking his fist at a Gorilla in his cage at a zoo, who has somehow gotten a hold of Homer's pants.
- "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play": Yet another Channel 6 appearance, with a distressed Marge holding a drunken, drooling, beer-hat-wearing Homer in the famous position of Michaelangelo's La Pieta.
- In "Any Given Sundance", Principal Skinner pulls out a file labeled "Simpson" and brings up a newspaper clipping of Homer fighting a giant octopus with the headline, "Aquarium to stop serving beer" as Skinner comments on how he's a local character of note.
