Photojournalism is the act of telling stories through photographs. “It is the use of photographs in conjunction with the reporting of news in media such as print newspapers, magazines, television news and Internet reporting. A photojournalist when delivering news or reports must meet the principles of journalism; timeliness, accuracy, fairness on representing details and context of events and facts gathered and the accountability to present it to the public”(Westbrook). He or she should deliver all the accurate facts without missing any important details and he or she must be good at explaining his or her purpose of the subject.
Are there rules that photojournalists should follow? Why? Why not?
There are rules a photojournalist must follow. According to National Press Photographers Association, here are some of the rules: “be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity”(NPPA Code of Ethics). It should stay in every mind of photojournalist, these will help them a lot to develop their communication skills and their personality especially dealing with different kinds of people. A photojournalist should follow these rules in order to deliver good and accurate news.
Is the ethics of taking journalistic photos different than the ethics of writing a news story?
These Code of Ethics are same as the rules in writing a news story. A photojournalist and a journalist/newscaster must uphold the standards and ethics to deliver truthful and realistic story or article.
What's the impact of altering press photographs? Should they be edited (at all) in postproduction?
Photographs are created through the vision of the photographer. This is what makes them each unique. Photojournalist should not alter photographs because reader wants to know the truth and they want realistic news, photos and articles. “The photojournalist must be careful not to exclude important parts of the context of the event being photographed” (Westbrook). Even though technology is really booming right now, a photograph can just altered by enhancing the quality of it like contrast, exposure and saturation, etc. He or she should not edit it just to satisfy and please readers; it is their obligation to deliver truth, accurate and factual details, hence if they can’t follow the rules then their photo will result as fake, and its uniqueness will lose.
Work cited:
Westbrook, Dillon. “A brief history of Photojournalism”. Photography-schools.com Photography Schools. Web. 9 Mar. 2012.
NPPA. “NPPA Code of Ethics.” NPAA.org National Press Photographs Association. Web. 9 Mar 2012.
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