(Famous National Geographic cover shot in 1985 by Steve McCurry)
Monday, November 1, 2010
What Is the Role of Photojournalism?
Photojournalism plays a very important role in today’s society. With so many newsworthy events occurring around the world it is very important for readers to be able to see a picture accompanying the story. This gives people a little more insight to what they are reading about, having a visual image makes the story more memorable. Westbrook reiterates this in his piece “A Brief History of Photojournalism”. “The incorporation of photographs into news reports is so ubiquitous that a story without photographs to a contemporary audience feels incomplete, as though they were only getting half the story.”(1)
Photojournalism has evolved a lot and this is due to the changes in technology. The meaning of photojournalism has been the same for throughout history; to augment the written word. In the 1970’s photojournalism was looked at as an art form and considered a great talent. Westbrook discusses the important of their work on society and how photographers like Don McCullin received a great deal of respect for their work. Photojournalism today has become very fast paced due to the high use of digital photography, instead of waiting for the perfect shot photographers can fire away at occurring events. The use of technology and digital photographs has opened up so many new mediums for photojournalism.
(July 1968 London Don Mccullin in the Beatle years)
(1)http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm.
Are there rules that photojournalists should follow? Why? Why not?
Photojournalism defined is: the art or practice of communicating news though photographs. The news should not be hidden from the public, the public has a right to know everything that is going on in the world. When written or spoken word is used to communicate the news it is effective but when combined with photographs of the issue at hand the effect is even stronger and better communicated to the public. “A photo is worth a thousand words” is a true statement. There is so much more emotion to be felt and depth to be explored when faced with a photograph in comparison to text. Photojournalists should not be afraid to capture a strong captivating photograph, whether it is of war, natural disaster, politics, weather or whatever the issue is. It is up to the public whether or not they want to look at the photos depending on the subject matter, but this should not impact the photojournalists right to take the photo. If the photojournalist is dedicated enough to put themselves in compromising situations to get a important photograph they should have every right to do so. The more we know about the world around us the more we can do to understand it and respond better to the worlds issues. Photojournalists have a tremendous influence on the publics knowledge of world issues. There should not be rules when it comes to photojournalism because the photojournalists have the right to explore, capture, and inform the public of every issue possible, and photographs make telling a story so much more interesting and powerful. It is also important for the public to get as much information about an issue as possible, to form their opinions and open their eyes.
(AP Photos)
Photojournalism is used to capture to exciting moments in time.
(1)http://www.photography.com/articles/types-of-photography/photojournalism/
Ethical Power Play - “Is photo journalism different than writing a news story?”
We have defined for what photo journalism is and the rules it must follow. Now we need to consider the ethical complications that come into play with this kind of journalism. Even though these pictures are not written text, they tell a story; with facts and imagery. Viewers cannot control the images that they see, or the manner in which they are presented. This is where problems may occur “because images evoke almost immediate emotional responses among viewers, pictures have tremendous impact.” With well-chosen words, visual messages combine to educate, entertain and persuade. However, such visual images can also offend, shock, mislead, stereotype and confuse. Photo journalism brings the imagery to the story, much like how a news story tells the events which un folded in a story. They are very much the same, and should obide by the same ethical guidelines. In the following paragraphs, there are two events that occurred that broke barriers and many ethical guidelines, on a visual level as well as in written form
We have paparazzi stalking celebrities, violent images, unethical advertising and falsified images, so the question is where are we crossing the line? There are a few examples from a chapter called Photojournalism Ethics Timeless Issue re calls two specific examples where a person right to privacy was ignored and manipulation of photos occurred. The infamous OJ Simpson murder case spawned photogs from all over the world trying to capture his fall from grace to absolute dismay. Stalking outside his house, helicopters flying overhead, cars chasing him, photographers following his everyone move; Oj could not escape this kind of hell, and the question that should be answered is why was this happening in the first place? Viewers and fans will naturally have a curiosity about their favorite celebrities, however this kind of curiosity can be a dangerous one. Oj Simpson is a human being, regardless of his celebrity status, with legal rights to privacy and in that difficult time his privacy rights were abolished. Following someone day in and day out, taking pictures of their every move to later place them in magazines that will sell millions to the public is on so many level wrong. It is so offensive and can literally destroy a human’s life by doing so. The driving force behind this kind of picture is unfortunately the almighty dollar. With over 8.7 million dollars in magazine sales regarding the OJ Simpson murder trial; this only further proves people are bound to celebrities by the curiosity of his demise. Photographing a person incessantly and writing articles upon articles can be categorized under the same situation. We need to have respect for people especially in times of turmoil.
Another example is a photo manipulated to create excitement for the 1994 winter Olympics between two rivals, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. The two were photo shopped together with out any consent from either party. When the photo was released in the magazines, a riot hit the scene with two publicly known rivals shown together in such a pleasing manner. The magazine had to re call the issue and made a public apology for altering the image. However that doesn't change the fact the photo was fake and the public was lied to. Compositing two images together to create one false image is wrong. It sets the tone for all future pictures and demotes the credibility of media organizations and broadcasts who broadcast. Power is knowledge and to represent false facts and images doesn’t help the public understand the nature of what is going on.
To answer the question “is photojournalism different than writing a news story?” I would say no. I believe the same principles and practices apply to photography and writing. A journalist would not want to place false information in an article, or manipulate the story to alter the mood. Neither should a photographer alter an image to entice the public or change the opinion of the public into believing something that is not accurate. There is a certain integrity that must be cohesive when taking pictures. Photography is meant to capture the truth, in the most visual way possible. When establishments alter photographs they inevitably censor the publics right to truth. However along with truth comes power and disrupting the lives of celebrities and individuals should never be a price to pay when it comes to photography
(OJ Simpson's June 17, 1994 Mugshot altered by Time Magazine)
(Controversial 1994 Newsday cover altered by Newsday photo staff showing Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan skating together)
1. "A Brief History of Photojournalism." Photography Schools. Find the Best School and Be a Career Photographer. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm>.
2. "Photojournalism Ethics: Chapter Six." College of Communications - CSU Fullerton. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/chapter6.html>
3. Lester, Paul M. "Photojournalism An Ethical Approach." College of Communications - CSU Fullerton. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/pjethics.html>.
4. Lucas, By Dean. "Altered Images - FamousPicturesMagazine." Main Page - FamousPictures. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Altered_Images#OJ_Simpson.27s_dark_day>.
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