Photojournalism and Digital Imaging Ethics

Photojournalism and digital imaging ethics

Photojournalism, present day finds itself standing at the proverbial crossroads. Will digital imaging technologies and public cynicism lead to its downfall or will journalists rise to the challenge by practicing a new more credible form of visual /photo journalism. Ethical blunders by such journalistic icons as National Geographic and TIME have all contributed to visual journalism losing credibility with the public. It was only a hundred years ago that people believed what saw in photographs was true. On the other hand present day, the increasing response to an unusual photograph is "They did that with PhotoShop." Where does this leave a medium whose mission is to deliver a realistic eyewitness account of the public and events all over the world? As a result digital imaging technology had led to an increased awareness of the ease of manipulation to photographs with programs like Adobe PhotoShop has brought to light in visual journalism the need for a re-examination of the preconceived logic that suggests that because a machine makes photographs, that photography is free of the bias resulting from human intervention, leading photojournalism towards higher, not lower ethical standards.

Genuine photos can change the hearts and minds of the people. Real photographs can change how we view war and how we view or society. Vietnam is a prime example. Two photos sum up that war: the Nick Ut's photo of the girl burned by napalm running naked down the street

and the Eddie Adams' photo of a man being executed on the streets of Saigon. These photos changed how we perceived that war. They are powerful and they get their power from the fact that they are real moments captured for all time on film. It is the photojournalist responsibility to let no one change the content of these photos or the content of any documentary photo. It is an obligation to history.

The public regards photography, especially news photography, as verifiable fact. And unfortunately, in a digital age, nothing could be farther from the truth. "People believe in news photographs. They have more inherent trust in what they see than what they read," Ken Kobre, head of photojournalism studies at San Francisco State University, "Digital manipulation throws all pictures into a questionable light.