Wow…look at what a few months in prison will do for you.

In a move that has raised questions of professional integrity, Newsweek magazine has combined an image of Martha Stewart’s head and a model’s body on its latest cover, according to a report Thursday.

The New York Times says the Newsweek cover depicts what looks to be a real full-body photo of Stewart, albeit a few pounds lighter, parting a curtain. The text reads “Martha’s Last Laugh: After Prison She’s Thinner, Wealthier & Ready for Prime Time.”

According to the Times, Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Lynne Staley said the photo was not meant to be deceptive but rather to illustrate what she might look like when she’s released from prison, which could come as early as Friday. Staley said a credit on the table of contents noted the image was a fake.

“If a reader thinks its a news photo, an actual photograph, as opposed to a piece of art, then you should never change the truth of the photo,” Castro told the Times.

Staley agreed and said the magazine should have been more careful, perhaps using an image that clearly couldn’t have been mistaken for a real picture.

“They fumbled, they blundered, but this is not like misrepresenting the news,” Castro told the paper. “They just did a dumb thing.”

Indeed.

UPDATE: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, she’s Free at last!

MORE: Dan Gillmor calls her as he sees her.