Issues in Photojournalism

In an article titled The Power of the Photograph, Heizmann(2007) reports from Croatia about a War Art Gallery and the impact it has in journalism. The gallery displays a visual view from both sides of the conflict and four international photographers put them together trying to produce a more global perspective of what actually happened during the war. This is quite different from the 15 seconds of TV newsreel that you get the international news channel. The exhibits always try to follow a story and get a little bit further into the story and closer to touch the lives of those who are affected by war. In the media, they have editors, publishers, who are sitting at their desks with their own political or ideological views of telling the story. The idea is to concentrate on conflicts that are happening in our lifetime today and to make people more aware of these conflicts. Photojournalists think a picture is more impressive than words. You can look into the eyes of the children; they're very terrified, very afraid. The War Photo Gallery is unique, because it is dedicated to conflict zone photographer, it is almost purely for educational purposes.

Lester (1991) argues that media critics and viewers question the use of gru

esome images, dozens of photographers hounding celebrities, picture manipulations that present misleading views, visual messages that perpetuate negative stereotypes of individuals from various multicultural groups, and images that blur the distinction between advertising and journalism.

Because images evoke almost immediate emotional responses among viewers, pictures have tremendous impact. Patterson and Wilkins (1998) believe that with well-chosen words, visual messages combine to educate, entertain and persuade. But the flip side to such visual power is that images can also offend, mislead, stereotype and confuse.

Emery and Curtis (1995) explains that editors need to be sure that images of murder or automobile victims are really necessary to tell the story. The media concentration on criminal activity creates an exaggerated perception of crime in the minds of viewers. Rather than focusing on bloody body bags, journalists need to explain the underlying social forces that cause such tragic events to occur.

In my opinion, photojournalism will continue in forms of Art Galleries, news, as long as they continue to make an impact on its viewers. Pictures and words co-exist with one another and today’s society is more likely to judge an article by the pictures presented more than the text itself.

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References

1. Emery M & Curtis, T 1995, Photojournalism Ethics: Timeless Issues, CSUF, viewed June 12th 2010

http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/photoethics.html

2. Heizmann, S (2007), The Power of the Photograph, ABC.net, viewed June 12th 2010,

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2007/2051819.htm

3. Lester, P 1991, Photohournalism: An ethical approach, Laurence Erlbaum, New Jersey.

4. Patterson, P & Wilkins, L 1998, Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, McGraw Hill, Boston.

5. Sontag, S 1977, On Photography, Straus and Giroux, New York.