Digital Manipulation and Photojournalism

In our daily life, the visual overcomes the verbal.  Everywhere we go, we see a huge amount of images making our experiences more visual than ever. With digital photography, media, government and every person gets an opportunity to reflect their vision of the world in any way they want to.

But we have to be careful with these visions, especially if we are talking of photojournalism. With the new technologies, this practice has been permeated more with digital manipulation than with evidence of truth.

With the common and open use of digital programs that allow manipulation of images, the idea that a photo shows the truth, vanishes. To this matter, photojournalists and media try to maintain the credibility of the images.

Through history,  we can see that manipulation is not an exclusive of digital photography. In developing a black and white film, one could manipulate the light, contrast and exposition. Even editing them was possible because one could modify them by including or excluding elements. The difference is that manipulation was difficult to do since it was used and controlled by oppressive governments.

Nowadays, photojournalism involves a constant fight between photographers and editors fighting to get the best photo and the best economic profit, turning this into an unethical practice. Besides, with Photoshop or other editing programs being accessible to anyone, manipulation is more obvious.  With digital media, one has the weird feeling of not being able to believe.

But this distrust could also serve as a positive thing. Making people more aware of this manipulation can lead to a more decent and truthful practice. Yet the question remains ¿does anyone still believes in the veracity of photojournalism? People working in this field should stand guard on this matter.  It is their credibility and therefore, their future, at risk.

REFERENCES

Batchen, Geoffrey. (1997). ‘Epitaph’ in Burning with Desire: The Conception of Photography , Cambridge, MA: MIT press, pp206-216.

Tagg, John.(1988) ‘Evidence, Truth and Order: Photographic Records and the Growth of the State’ in John Tagg. (1993) The Burden of Representation: Essays onPhotographies and Histories , Minneapolis: University of MinnesotaPress, pp. 60-65.

Ricchiardi, Sherry. 2007. "DISTORTED PICTURE." American Journalism Review 29, no. 4: 36-43. Communication & Mass Media Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 6, 2010).