Week 12 (THANK GOD) - Photojournalism, the Best of Both Worlds

For this week's lecture on Photojournalism, we are required to identify and outline five fundamentals of journalism ethics.

Photojournalism became an important part of our lives and we are dependent on them to tell the story visually instead of with words. We as viewers perceived photographs as the unalterable truth. Therefore professional photojournalists have an obligation to continue to be ethical as they are upholding a level of public trust that cannot be breached. If such responsibilities are accomplished, photojournalists will earn the respect of their viewers, colleagues, sources and themselves.

Firstly, in the age of of digital cameras, photo manipulation has become more common. Doctoring photos has been around since the invention of photography (Lowrey, 2003). Presently the issue whether a photo has been manipulated is no longer significant but of how much it change the original image that the truth has been distorted completely. Manipulating images can have serious social ramifications. During the O.J. Simpson trial in 1994, Time magazine received widespread criticism for manipulating a mug shot of O.J Simpson to make him look darker and more menacing (Hunt, 1999). Time magazine was accused of pursuing a racist agenda and presupposing Simpson's guilt. The magazine's reputation was badly tarnished by the controversy and it also shed light into the need for image integrity in photojournalism. In 2001, a LA Times photographer covering the war in Iraq was also fired for using Adobe Photoshop to combine two photos (Smith, 2005). When we correct, manipulate and enhance images, it is imperative to deal with questions of ethics, which are a set of moral principles or values or conforming to accepted professional standards of conducts. Today, manipulating an image is a mouse click away and some images are transformed into unique artworks which are often indicated. However digitally altering the content of a photograph by subtracting elements that change the message or meaning of the picture or cropping out damage or blurring critical information is the line that photojournalists must not cross. Therefore image manipulation should NOT be done with the intent to deceive the viewers or misrepresent subjects. 

Two different copies of the same mugshot of O.J. Simpson. The Newsweek cover is the original mugshot, whereas the Time cover is digitally manipulated.

The first recorded case of photo manipulation in the early 1860s when a photo of Abraham Lincoln was altered using the body from a portrait of John. C. Calhoun.

I personally feel that some editing is fine.  If any major editing is done to a picture this should be noted when the picture is presented. Below are photos of me standing in the background of Burj-Al-Arab hotel in Dubai. A hotel staff snapped this quick photo of me. Anyway, I was not happy with this image because the photo turns out dark. So I manipulated the image by brightening it and increasing the image resolution to preserve the quality. Therefore I believe there is no harm being done, because I did not add or remove any elements to alter the meaning of this image.

The original photo.

After adding brightness to the photo.

The second major aspect of ethical decision making for photojournalists is the intrusion of privacy. Photojournalists need to understand that the public's right to know often to be weighed against the privacy rights of people in the news. In other words, public interest must be justified or legitimate and not just to serve their morbid curiosity. The Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press titled 'Photographers' Guide to Privacy' outlined the privacy law into four areas (Cate, 2004). The first and second is the unreasonable intrusion and public disclosure of private facts. An example is the paparazzi invading celebrities privacy. Therefore photographer must obtain consent, allowing the subject to know fully what is it that they are going to use their photos for. The third is the placing a person in a false light in the public eye. It involves putting a person's image in an untrue setting or situation. Giving false information is not only ethically wrong but photojournalists may be subject to libel suits because of its damaging impact. The fourth area in a privacy case is using a person's image for monetary gain. The National Press Photographers Association (NPAA) code of ethics warns against sacrificing the quality of their work for compensation from story subjects.

Britney Spear's car being mobbed by paparazzi.

 

The third code of ethics which need to be taken into consideration is taste (Bordieu, 1984). Gruesome images of the dead or grieving victims of a tragic event is presented which the public often finds distasteful. The NPPA Code of Ethics calls on members to "treat all subjects with respect and dignity" and this applies particularly to victims of crime and tragedy or those involved in a private moment of grief. Therefore photojournalists need to be sure that such uncomfortable images are really necessary to tell the story. It must be justifiable such as a way to warn others of the consequences of speeding. It is the duty of photojournalists to explain the underlying social forces that resulted in such tragic event.

Recently in Brunei two 6-year old students were tragically killed at Mabohai school parking lot. Pictures of the covered corpses during the 'Jenazah' prayers were published in both Borneo Bulletin and Brunei Times local newspapers to accompany the news reports. It was a subject of controversy as some readers found the photos distasteful, disrespectful to the grieving families and also unnecessary. 

The photo published in Borneo Bulletin

Photo of victim in the Brunei Times 

Photojournalists sometimes can damage the believability of an image by trying to shape the outcome of a story too intently (Keith et al, 2006). NPPA code had advised to resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. Staging photos involves recreating or altering the scene. This may result in viewers ending up with images of an event the way the creators see it instead of the way it truly happened. Therefore photojournalists should have little involvement on an event and avoid altering the course of activities with his or her presence.

A staged shot of Obama reading his statement after making a televised statement on the death of Osama bin Laden.

 

The fifth code of ethic for consideration is the need to avoid stereotyping of individuals and groups. Stereotype is a shortcut to describe a person with collective as opposed to unique characteristics. The danger of stereotyping is that most readers form their opinions about individuals from cultural groups based on the pictures they see in the media. In relation to that, photojournalist should exercise cultural sensitivity in order to promote more fair and balanced images. Additionally, the news editorial staffs must also be culturally diverse with knowledge about local and foreign issues and events to avoid reporting errors and perpetuate negative stereotypes of marginalized groups.

As a journalist for Brunei's leading English daily newspaper, Borneo Bulletin, I am also bound by the code of ethics and forced to practice self-censorship in line with the nation's philosophy of Malay Islam Monarchy or MIB. Sometimes this could be viewed as a threat to our commitment to truth. We tend to avoid reporting on sensitive issues and practice self-censorship of content in an effort to avoid violating cultural norms or offending local sensitivities. 

References:

Bordieu. P. (1984). Distinction:A social critique of the judgment of taste. USA:Harvard University Press.

Cate, J. A. (2004). Journalism:a guide to the reference literature. US:Libraries Unlimited.

Hunt, D. M (1999). O.J. Simpson facts and fictions:News rituals in the construction of reality. UK:Cambridge University Press.

Keith, S., Schwalbe, C. B., & Silcock, B.W. (2006). Images in ethics codes in an era of violence and tragedy. Journal of mass media ethics, 21(2), 245-264. doi:10.1207/s15327728jmme2104_3

Lowrey, W. (2003). Normative conflict in the newsroom:The case of digital photo manipulation. Journal of mass media ethics, 18(2), 123-142.

Smith, K. L. (2005). Handbook of visual communication:Theory, methods and media. US:Routledge.

Week 11 - Infographics

My Information graphic

Dr Chris Woo's Infographics

 

The information graphics above help explain to the shareholders the relationship between the airline’s gross revenue and gross expense and the rising of oil and fuel prices which caused a net loss and mere profit for the aviation industry. The line graph is utilized to demonstrate trends and compare two variables (Lipkus & Hollands, 1999). To distinguish one variable to the other, a different colored line is used. The red colored line represents the company’s expenses annually while the blue colored line illustrates the company’s revenue per annum. The values or series of data points show us the facts. Title is further added to indicate the purpose of the graph and helps the reader identify what they are about to look at. The legend informs what each line represents. Overall, the line graph shows a steep increase in the company’s income and expenditure for the past seven years from 2003 – 2009.

 

Meanwhile the rising oil prices and the percentage of expenses on fuel are marked with pictograms of oil barrels. The different sizes of oil barrels depict the amount spend on fuel. The bigger the size of the barrel, the higher the amount the company spends on fuel for the year. On the other hand, the volume of liquid in the barrel represents the total percentage of fuel expenses. The pictograph to demonstrate the rising oil prices and expense on fuel is easy to read and visually appealing (Ruesch & Kees, 1966).

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In comparison to Dr Chris Woo's information graphic , I noticed the absence of gridlines. The reason why I did not include gridlines is because I feel that it will clutter the appearance of my graph. In addition to that, Dr Chris Woo's graph also includes another line graph to illustrate the rising prices of fuel. I indicated this with the font size of the value of fuel expenses instead. However I overlooked the vital elements in the chart which are the x and y axis.

Therefore the information graphic above is a visual presentation of information and data. It is used to explain complex information clearly and it is extensively used to present a rich amount of information (Lester, 2006). It visually conveys large amounts of information in compact and easy way to understand.

References :

Lester, P. M. (2006). Visual communication:Images with messages. USA:Cengage Learning. 

Lipkus, I. M., & Hollands, J. G. (1999). The visual communication of risk. Oxford Journals, 25(1), 149-163.

Ruesch, J., & Kees, W. (1966. Nonverbal communication. London:University of California Press.

Week 10 - The Cyborgian Lifestyle

DO  you agree that you are cyborgian in nature?

We are presently living in a world inundated with technology, therefore our dependency on technological devices makes us all cyborgs. The idea of us being cyborgs, half-man, half-machine is when our capacities and capabilities are extended beyond our physical limitations (James, 1996)

Kate Moss as CYBORG

This question takes me to a feature film by Robbin Williams film which I have watched about a decade ago called 'Bicentennial Man'. It was about a robot, acted by Robbin Williams,  who strives hard to be recognized as a human. As a robot, he learn about emotions and other characteristics that a robot can't possibly have including being mortal. Personally when we watched the movie, we sympathize with the robot being for their disabilities to express certain emotions or thoughts. But little do we know that we are also not just a piece of meat, but a piece of machinery in nature as we rely on technological devices as an extension of our self. Therefore stretching ourselves into this technologies makes us all half men, half machine.

A touching scene from the film, Bicentennial Man

 

As technology becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, we rely on technologies like mobile phones and computers to help us communicate, remember and think for us. We are also living in the era, where we turn to Google when we need answers. Our dependence on mobile phones, computers or our cars make is appear that this machines are augmented to our body to help us perform better in our daily duties. Therefore this machines serves as prosthetics, maintaining and reinforcing our physical bodies (Grenville, 2002). The fact that I am become dependent on eyeglasses to see clearly render me a cyborg as the correct lens is a product of technology Technology replaced the knowledge of how we do things and turn it into physical objects. 

An illustration of how hooked we are on technology

We are also cyborgians because we have multiple digital representation of ourselves through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or MSN Messenger. It replaces the way we communicate and we are more compelled to express ourselves online. To some people, the virtual world is their reality. It allows them to take any form of digital physical representation which the real world could not offer.. The cyberworld is a disembodied experience to some of us and it is a form of escapism and a stimulation of real-world events.

Avator or visual representation of a person in a virtual world or chat

Let us NOT be deceived by pictures on Facebook. Just saying..

 

Technology allows us to carry out tasks with efficiency and speed. But on the downside, technology has invaded our personal space as it deprived us of the warmth of personal contact and reduced physical activity. Children nowadays are technologically literate by the age of five years old. In Brunei Darussalam under the 21 st Century National Education System (SPN 21) the government encourage technology use in classrooms to improve IT literacy among students (Hana, 2010). However during family dinners or outings that I have observed in restaurants, teens nowadays are engrossed or hooked on their cell phones, tablets, game consoles, laptops, smart phones, etc that they missed the monumental family moments. I am equally guilty of regularly checking my I Phone for missed phone call or work e-mail during family or social outing. Although this technology devices keep us productive and entertained, however it risked of creating a generation of young adults who are only able to keep conversations through e-mail or instant messaging due to lack of physical interaction. The technological advances would also ultimately produce a less tolerant, less motivated and lazy society. In addition to that, our constant desire on on technology has also caused unemployment in the world as computer softwares today have the ability to perform administrative duties thus replacing job positions like secretaries and mail messengers among many (Rumberger, 2002)

A comic published on the Borneo Bulletin, dated Oct 28 illustrates how the society is dependent on Google for answers and knowledge 

Our excessive dependent on technology make us members of the cyborg culture. Whether we like it or not, we are part of the phenomenon of rising cyber culture. In this digital age, we would barely survive or rendered incapacitated without our smartphones, laptops, tablets etc just like food, water and shelter. Technology has seeped into aspect of our lives and if we live without it, it would be like ripping away part of ourselves, reinforcing the argument that we are CYBORGS.


References : 

Grenville, B. (2002). The Uncanny : Experiments in cyborg culture. Canada: Arsenal Pulp Press.

Hana, R. (2010, October 19). Devise print, digital literacy programmes. The Brunei Times. Retrieved from http://www.bt.com.bn

James, J. (1996). Thinking in the future tense. Industrial and commercial training. 28(7), 28 – 32.

Rumberger, R. W. (2002). High technology and job loss. Technology in society. 6(4), 263-284.