According to dictionary.com, news is supposed to be “a report of a recent event; intelligence; information”, created to inform the public of local and international stories. People listen to the news in anticipation of receiving truthful facts about reported cases. However, when photojournalists manipulate photographs and portray them as reality, the stories automatically change and some of the truth is hidden.
Pictures are often used in news cases as evidence to support reported facts. They are shown in magazines, newspapers and news programs on TV to give the audience a sense of what exactly happened at a particular time. If viewers are not notified of certain altars made to photographs, they are ultimately being deceived and lead to believe aspects of a story that are not necessarily true.
.............
.....Unfortunately, anyone who has access to a computer with the right software can easily manipulate an image. As technology becomes more sophisticated, the number of photographs being modified increases.
A classic example of photo manipulation was OJ Simpson’s mug shot on the cover of Time Magazine. James Gaines, the editor of Time magazine during the scandal, described the photo manipulation as “defensible” and “subtly smoothed” while others were outraged by the changes made. When compared to OJ’s unaltered mug shot shown in News Week Magazine, it is obvious to see Time edited their version of the photo making his skin appear darker. The intent: to portray OJ as a “murderous” and “guilty” man.
Some, like James Gaines, believe the changes made to the cover were “simple and non-judgmental” and appropriate with the headline “An American Tragedy”. Several others however, believe the photo manipulation was racist, stereotyping all black people as criminals.
I personally believe this was a very racist move by Time Magazine. Not only did they mislead readers into believing the edited photo of OJ was real, they modified his natural skin colour, a topic very sensitive in today’s society, to make him seem more guilty. Although I believe this was a very bad judgment call by Time, the modification did make the photo appear more intriguing. Since his skin tone was made much darker, more attention was drawn to his eyes making them “pop”. Nonetheless, that is no reason to change a picture, especially in a news story.
I personally believe this was a very racist move by Time Magazine. Not only did they mislead readers into believing the edited photo of OJ was real, they modified his natural skin colour, a topic very sensitive in today’s society, to make him seem more guilty. Although I believe this was a very bad judgment call by Time, the modification did make the photo appear more intriguing. Since his skin tone was made much darker, more attention was drawn to his eyes making them “pop”. Nonetheless, that is no reason to change a picture, especially in a news story.
Below is an example of how easy it is to manipulate an image
Ethics, “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc”, is what make this, or any other topic for that matter, so debatable.
Several ethical questions arise around photo manipulation. Is it right? Should it be allowed? Should their be rules surrounding the alterations of photographs?
Trevor Rose, a second-year law student at American University’s Washington College of Law, stated, “Photojournalists have a commitment to report the news truthfully. If there is one clearly ethical standard of journalism, it is that journalists should not intentionally deceive their audience”.
In the case of Time magazine, the manipulation was unethical. Without a doubt, the photojournalists’ intentions were to deceive their audience and create more profit for themselves.
In order to change the confusion and dishonesty of photo manipulation, it should be mandatory by the Canadian Government to state all alterations to a published photograph below it. This way, minor changes such as background lighting can still occur, however audiences will be clearly aware of any physical changes to people shown in the photo, etc.
Below is a commerical created by DOVE -- another example of photo manipulation seen in media.
________________________________________
Artist not available. “Photoshop Photo Manipulation with Photoshop Makeover” YouTube. No Date. 25 May 2008. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afZRl8UNizY>
Artist not available. “Evolution of Beauty by Dove” YouTube. No Date. 25 May 2008. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFX9Aa1RP8Y>
Artist not available. “OJ and Wife” Dailymail.com. No Date. 25 May 2008. <http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_01/nicolebrownREX_468x630.jpg>
Artist not available. “Motorcycle Manipulation” tc.umn.edu. No Date. 25 May 2008. <http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/false.html>
No comments:
Post a Comment