What's the role of photojournalism?
Journalism as a profession was very sensitive since the early days and the journalists had to be very creative to bring the picture to the readers of what really happened. This all came to an end once the photography entered the world of news and journalism. The information about wars, disasters and politicians was very accurate so people trusted this method of education. . “Consumers depend upon photojournalists to bring them the images that allow them to feel connected to far-away realities, and to be educated about those realities. “ (Westbrook) The images of the situation were so real and true that people started to respect photo journalism as a profession.
Are there rules that a photojournalist should follow? Why? Why not?
The rules of the photo journalism had to be implemented in order to keep various journalists play with the truth. Timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of the context of events and facts reported, and accountability to the public are some of the rules that are listed in the article “A Brief History of Photojournalism”. The article also states: “A journalist, on the other hand, cannot be held to the demands of the photographic subject, but rather he or she must be concerned with producing accurate news for the public.” (Westbrook) It is crucial that these rules are followed together with not altering any photos, erasing people or objects.
Is the ethics of taking journalistic photos different than the ethics of writing a news story?
The ethics in any kind of profession are very important. The ethics for photo journalism are same as for journalism and they reflect on everyone so it could have a big negative or positive impact to so many different lives all over the world. In order for the truth to get out the code of ethics has to be strictly followed. The code from the reading says the only acceptable change in the photo is the quality of it. There can’t be any erasing of the people or objects (Course Notes - Week 9) . As we all know technology today makes it easier to alter the photo so the ethics play even bigger role than before.
What's the impact of altering press photographs? Should they be edited (at all) in postproduction?
As I said above altering should only be done for the quality. Also you can’t take a photo and take something out of context. (Course Notes - Week 9) Taking a photo of a man behind barbed wire fence and distributing it as a photo from concentration camp could have huge consequences. What if the man was in fact free and he just happened to stand behind the fence. I don’t see any difference between saying a lie or making a lie by altering a photo. I recommend the movie “Wag the dog”. Besides having my favourite actor Robert DeNiro, the movie is great because it shows us how one image could have the impact to start the war. It is scary that these things not only happen in Hollywood but also in real life. If photo manipulation becomes part of photojournalism we have to fight against it with all of our power. We have to make sure the truth stays out there.
Works Cited
Course Notes - Week 9. "Photojournalism - Course Notes Week (." (2011): Slide 8.
Westbrook, Dillon. "Photography Schools - A Brief History of Photojournalism ." 2007. Photography Schools. 10 03 2011 <http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm>.
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