Breakdown of В новостях сообщают, что эту фотографию сделали папарацци.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
в
in / to (direction)
фотография
photograph
сделать
to do (perfective) / to make (perfective)
Questions & Answers about В новостях сообщают, что эту фотографию сделали папарацци.
Why is there no subject like они before сообщают?
This is a classic indefinite-personal clause. When an action is done by an unspecified group of people, an institution (like the media), or is just a general rumor, Russian omits the pronoun они and simply uses the 3rd-person plural verb. It translates naturally to "They report" or the passive "It is reported."
Is the second clause (что эту фотографию сделали папарацци) also an indefinite-personal clause?
No. Even though the verb сделали is plural, this clause has an explicit subject: папарацци. The paparazzi are the specific people who took the photo, so it doesn't fit the "unspecified agent" rule used in the first half of the sentence.
Why is the object эту фотографию placed before the verb and the subject?
Russian uses flexible word order to show emphasis. Known or topical information (эту фотографию) goes first, while the new, most important piece of information—who actually took the picture (папарацци)—is placed at the very end for focus. Because эту фотографию has accusative case endings, it's grammatically clear that it is the object receiving the action, not the subject.
Why do we use сделали (made) instead of a translation of "took" for the photograph?
In Russian, the standard phrase for "taking a picture" is сделать фотографию (literally, "to make a photo"). If you used a direct translation of "take," like взять, it would mean physically picking up a printed photo with your hands.