Photojournalists are held within the same standards as other journalists. These standards include the idea of objectivity, ethics, etc. Journalists write non-fiction and photojournalists shoot photos that are supposed to be non-fiction. The general public expects and relies on this notion.
The implications of the increasing alteration of journalistic photography are real. The sophistication with which photos are altered is mind blowing. It is important to note that when it comes to journalistic photography, the journalist takes the photo and then delivers it to whichever news organization he/she is affiliated with. Once that photo is passed on to the news organization, it is taken over by the sub-editor or photo-editor. Once that happens, what happens to the photos are how it is manipulated is usually out of the hands of the photographer. As more and more photos, whether press photos or otherwise, are altered and published the line between what is “real” and what is “fake” becomes blurred.
With digital photography being the norm, editing software like Photoshop make editing photos extremely easy and accessible. Photo manipulation, however, is not something new. Back in history, photo manipulation was achieved by using a number of tools and techniques, including scratching Polaroid photos and airbrushing.
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| Historic Photo Manipulation Tools http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation |
The first recorded case of photo manipulation occurred in the early 1860s. A photo of President Abraham Lincoln was altered by putting his head on the body of John. C. Calhoun.
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| Abraham Lincoln and John Calhoun http://click.si.edu/Story.aspx?story=178 |
The next photo shows an Iranian missile test. The above photo was manipulated to make it look like there was an additional missile being fired. The bottom photo shows what actually took place, which actually displays the fact that one of the missiles that was supposed to go off did not. News agencies had to issue corrections when the Iranian government agency's fraud was found out.
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| Iranian Missile Test http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEP/Article/28898/ |
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| Altered Photos of Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/19/doctored-army-photos/ |
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| USA Today- Condoleezza Rice http://michellemalkin.com/2005/10/26/demonizing-condi/ |
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| Yahoo! Espana - Condoleezza Rice http://michellemalkin.com/2005/10/26/demonizing-condi/ |
Unless a photo is altered for a reason that does not take away from the actual focus of the photo, I feel that photo manipulation in press photography is wrong. If a photo is altered to perhaps remove a blemish, reduce the redness in someone's eyes, etc., I am okay with that. But when a photojournalistic photo is manipulated with the intent to manipulate the viewer of the photo and to take away from the fundamental point of the photo, I feel that something very unethical has taken place. As mentioned by the Times, photos that are taken for photojournalistic purposes and are meant to depict reality should be genuine in everyway.
Sources:
http://click.si.edu/Story.aspx?story=178
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photojournalism
http://michellemalkin.com/2005/10/26/demonizing-condi/
Photojournalism in the Age of Scrutiny by Kenneth Irby (Poynter Online)
phototruth or photofiction?: ethics in media imagery in the digital age. By Tom Wheeler
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/19/doctored-army-photos/
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