Photojournalism in controlled regulation system: A force that gives rise to propaganda?

Photographs are powerful tools in conveying messages. Though various representational modes, individuals are able to indulge in meaning-making when a visual image is presented (Kress & van Leeuwen 2006). Individuals may comprehend images differently and attempt to fill the gaps based on their own cultural background and experience (Walsh 2006). Being a powerful element in the minds of audiences, it is a concern that the images presented may not be what it is made out to be.

Does photojournalism bring about credibility issues?
When combined with journalism, the element of photography potentially brings about various levels of editing. This may range from photo editing which is done for enhancement purposes to the act of eliminating certain information by those on the editorial board. As such, the final ‘product’ that is presented to the audience loses its originality due to unwarranted innovations and limitations.

Therefore, it would also alter the audiences’ meaning-making of a photograph (Walsh 2006). As for photography without the institution of journalism, the essence of the originality captured by the photographer through his physical presence remains for the audience to appreciate and comprehend.

Photojournalism as a propaganda tool?
A photograph could be edited or falsely represented to the audience in order to influence them to conform to a particular propaganda. Apart from citizen journalism, many media agencies have been reported to have close tied with the government and authorities. On top of that, media agencies in some countries require licensing in order to operate.

Therefore, if the media such as the newspaper displays a picture which is not in favor of the government or refuses to publish a picture which is intended to serve as a government propaganda, the authorities may choose not to renew the license. In the Malaysian context, a Tamil daily known as Makkal Osai had been banned by the Home Ministry in 2008 after giving front-page coverage to a gathering organized by the opposition coalition.

Makkal Osai Front Cover Page

The propaganda technique of ‘ad hominem’ can also be observed in photojournalism where the intent of the manipulated photo is to attack the opponent, and not the arguments of the opponent(Hinman 1982). An example of a blend between this technique and photojournalism was observed in a Fox News show whereby the co-hosts attacked two New York Times journalists for giving the show low rating by airing their digitally altered photos. This was seen as a propaganda to discredit the New York Times. In the manipulated photos, the journalists were spotted to have yellow teeth and also had their nose and chin widened.

On the right: Manipulated photo of New York Times journalist, Jacques Steinberg

On the right: Manipulated photo of New York Times journalist, Steven Reddicliffe

The Fox News video: Propaganda through photo manipulation

Sims (2003) asserts that visuals are a strong tool of communication. Therefore, it has to be recognized that an abuse of image manipulation could give rise to misrepresentation and miscommunication(Reaves 1989). Photographs taken in private capacity is not subject to such rulings and therefore enables both sides of the scenario to be shown. Through this, the audience would be able to make a more informed decision having seen the scenario from a diverse perspective.

Reference List

Hinman, L. M. 1982, “The case for ad hominem arguments”, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Vol 60, Iss. 4, pp. 338-345.

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 2006, Reading Images: Grammar of Visual Design, Routledge, London.

Media Matters 2008, "Fox News airs altered photos of NY Times reporters," July 2 2008, viewed November 12 2009

http://mediamatters.org/research/200807020002

Reaves, S. 1989, “Digital alteration of photographs in magazines: An examination of the Ethics” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Sims, B. R. 2003, Technical Communication for Readers and Writers, 2nd edn, Houghton Mifflin Company, USA.

Walsh, M. 2006, “‘Textual shift’: Examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts,” Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol.29, no.1, p.24-37.

Bibliography

Evans, P. 2006, 'Chapter 2 The Principles and Elements of Publication Design' in Publication Design, Thomson-Delmar, New York.

Schriver, K. A. 1997, 'The interplay of words and pictures', Dynamics in document design: creating texts for readers, Wiley Computer Pub, New York, Chapter 6, pp.361-441.