Most people believe that pictures do not or cannot lie. We often believe that photo tell the truth as camera only records the facts. However, in reality, things are opposite. Thanks to photo editing software such as Photoshop, people can doctor picture and manipulate the truth easily. Thus, photojournalism ethics have been challenged.
An article ‘Orthodox Jewish paper apologises for Hillary Clintondeletion’ which was published by The Guardian (2011) reported that Di Tzeitung, an Orthodox Jewish newspaper had published a doctored image. The paper doctored a photograph of Barack Obama and his staff monitoring the Osama bin Laden raid by removing the image of the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton and the counterterrorism director, Audrey Tomason (The Guardian, 2011). There is a claimed that Di Tzeitung do not publish women’s images as Jewish believe that it is ‘immodest’ to show women’s images (The Guardian, 2011).
The following is the original photo:
source: The Guardian
The following is the altered photo:
source: The Guardian
It can be believed that photojournalist always practice photo manipulation. During an NPPA (National Press Photographer Association) ethics session in Portland, almost everyone in a group of 50 photojournalist admitted that they had practiced unethical tactics before (Gorham, 2011). According to Sherry Ricchiardi, photojournalists have forgotten ‘how and when to say ‘enough’’ as new technology made photo editing easier than before and it is affordable (Gorham, 2011). Therefore, with Photoshop, alter photograph is no longer difficult and photojournalist’s credibility had been challenged. People would not believe the media anymore once it has been discovered to practice photo manipulation and photojournalist is nothing without credibility (Gorham, 2011).
I believe that photojournalism ethic should not be infringed because one of the important missions of photojournalist is to present the truth of the world and to show people as they really are. What is truth? For photojournalism, truth is the photograph with reality viewed, interpreted and captured by photojournalist who holds fairness and objectivity (Parrish, 2002). As a photojournalist, one should act in good faith with the goal of presenting truthful information to public (Parrish, 2002). There are some codes of ethic of NPPA that should be followed by photojournalist: do not manipulate images in a way that can mislead audiences and avoid stereotyping and bias (NPPA,)
Therefore, ‘pictures don’t lie’ is no longer undoubtedly. Photojournalism ethics are important to photojournalists and they should not doctor photograph in the way that will misrepresent news.
References:
- Gorham, J 2011, Mass media 11/12, 7 th edn, McGraw-Hill, New York.
- NPPA Code of ethics 2011, National Press Photographer Association, viewed 14 November 2011, <http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/business_practices/ethics.html>
- Parrish, FS 2002, Photojournalism: An introduction, Wadsworth, Stamford.
- ‘Orthodoc Jewish paper apologises for Hillary Clinton deletion’ 2011, The Guardian 10 May, viewed 14 November 2011, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/10/jewish-paper-apologises-hillary-clinton>
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