Almost everyo…

 

Almost everyone with an apple product who is involved on social networks like Facebook or Twitter has been using Instagram. It is an altering-photo-sharing network and has quickly become the most popular mobile photo app to download. People have become obsessed with this new form of photo editing. They upload their own photos, tweak them tremendously (making them have an elegant vintage filter applied), post, edit, tag and comment on other’s photos in social networks.

 

Unlike the posts about ethical threats to photojournalism, Instagram does just the opposite. In the online media world, Instagram is the type of interaction website strive for. It is not a threat to photojournalism whatsoever, but instead just the opposite. Photojournalists, in fact, are refusing to engage with the new phenomenon. They feel that photography skills should be put in the hands of everyday people by a simple program. Social networkers world wide are addicted to this new program and are eager to better their work and broadcast it with journalistic standards. Unlike some unethical photojournalist, Instagram demonstrated the quality and value of true photography. You cannot fake a real moment with a vintage gloss or hide compositional flaws by applying a glossy blur, much unlike some photojournalist who completely alter the entire meaning of an image. Instagram does just the opposite by offering their customer the ability to enhance their photo, without changing the meaning.

 

Should pictur…

 

Should pictures like the one above be banned from the media? We all recognize and remember how terrible 9/11 was, but is it necessary to still have these images floating around on the internet? YouTube videos were taken of this man and are still played daily. ‘The Falling Man’ was snapped by Richard Drew at 9:41 a.m. He had jumped from the building instead of burning alive. The man’s identity still remains unknown.

 

Are images like these and other people jumping from the Twin Towers too disturbing or are they a true depiction of the true evil that occurred on the day that changed history? Death and war are intertwined, they are news and images like these depict both of these aspects. I have to wonder, if the man’s identity were known – would this image be any more disturbing? I think these photos should not be banned from the Internet, for they were a clear depiction of the awful death, horror and pain America suffered that day. Why hide what really happened? However, if the man’s identity were known and the family did ask for the photo to be removed and it wasn’t, then I do believe editors made a poor ethical decision. 

Ethical photojo…

Ethical photojournalism decisions do not always have to concern editing. Travyon Martin, 17, was an African-American who was fatally shot as he walked with iced-tea and candy in his pocket from a convenience store to his father’s fianceé’s home in Florida. The teen’s killing has captivated the nation’s attention as it has quickly turned into a race issue. People magazine’s April 9^th issue had Martin’s photo on the front cover. The photo itself was hardly untouched, but it was an incredibly old photo that was taken when he was just nine years old. Martin actually had gold teeth and was covered in tattoos. Was the media feeding the public a quiet, innocent picture to make Martin more of a victim, thus provoking this to be more of a racial issue? An innocent black man shot? Shocking! People magazine made a poor decision in publishing an outdated, childish photo of Martin. Readers opinions of him would change instantly if the magazine published an up-to-date picture of Martin covered in tattoos and throwing gang signs was splashed across the cover. Would he still be viewed just as innocent?

Photo editing and manipulation has taken place for years and although it has caused much debate, this photo takes the cake for deception. This image emerged on the internet not years or months, but just a few weeks after September 11th. The horror of the event and the impact it had on America made this photo just plain wrong and gave this image a huge emotional impact as it quickly became an internet phenomenon. The picture shows the tourist standing on the observation deck moments before the plane crashed. Rational assessment of the picture quickly reveals its flaws and the fact that it is a poor hoax. For example, how could the tourist not hear the plane coming? And how did the camera survive the crashing of the building? The World Trace Center’s observation deck was atop #2 WTC (the south tower). The photo looks north, toward the Empire State Building.Tower 2 was hit from the south by the hijacked plane. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South tower from the south. However, it is evident from the fact that Midtown Manhattan is in the background behind the man that the plane in this photo is approaching from the north.

The tourist in the photo is named Guzli and did not want to reveal his last name to avoid publicity. Guzli had taken the photo in 1997 and initially edited it for a few of his friends. He had no intention of it spreading like wildfire over the internet. He provided the original uneditied photo and several other photos from the same series as proof to a Hungarian newspaper and was genuinely sorry his editing and the people he offended: “I didn’t really stop to consider the consequences and never thought it would go outside of my small circle of friends.”

Is Showing Pictures of Dead Bodies Dehumanizing?

 The media often crosses the line…but how far is too far to get a point across?

Every time there is a major tragedy or a war photographs of dead bodies surface…and always cause a controversy. Should these types of photos be shown to the public?

These types of images spark heated debates of whether it is ethical to print these images to the public. People often argue that the media does not tell the truth – yet, when real images are published, they cause uproar. Many argue you cannot sanitize the news, especially the evil of war. Images are printed to prove that something has happened, but is death really something that has to be proven?

The disturbing picture above depicts a fatally wounded U.S. soldier slumped in the mud as fellow marines desperately try to save him. The release of the picture by a news agency in the U.S., which went against the wishes of the victim’s family, sparked a furious debate.

 The photograph was of Lance Corporal Joshua ‘Bernie’ Bernard, 21, after he was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade during a Taliban ambush of his in Dahaneh, Afghanistan. The Associated Press distributed the image on the front page of their paper. Outraged, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called AP’s move “appalling”, as he said, “Why your organization would purposely defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me.” In a letter to AP president Thomas Curley, Gates said that the photo ‘was released over the objection of the Marine’s grieving father.’ AP felt that the image was important to show readers…

AP understood that some of their decisions are bound to be unpopular and create a controversy with readers. “You’ll never please all of the people all of the time,” Irby says. “Journalism is not a popularity contest.”

We are all aware of the brutality and violence that comes with war, but is it really necessary to publish such gruesome photos, especially even when they defy the victim’s family’s wishes? I feel that dead bodies should not be published to prove a point, and publishing a body against a family’s wishes more than certainly crosses the line. I feel AP lacked compassion & sensitivity when they published this photo on their front page, especially when it was objected by the marine’s father. Personally, AP’s decision truly lacked ethics in professional journalism and forever changed by viewpoint on their organization.

Ethics in photojournalism has reached its peak in photo editing these past few years. The pressure to look your personal best and have the perfect body has become a widespread necessity in America with the media at the source of all this pressure.
The above image is Kim Kardashian before and after her the editing. There is a noticeable difference in her size, especially in her waist. Almost 100 percent of what we see on magazines is not what these people look like in real life. Yet, many Americans still feel the pressure to mirror the image of that celebrity, even though it is not realistic. The main issue with photo editing is determining if it is safe to believe the photographs we see? The answer is no because photos now are so dramatically edited and manipulated. Just like writers can spin stories in whatever direction they choose, photographers can edit an image to portray something very far from its actuality. It is becoming increasingly difficult to recognize reality in photojournalism and the public needs to learn to think for themselves rather than looking to the hottest magazine cover to determine what they should look like.

This digital composite of a British solder in Basra was splashed across the Los Angeles Times in March of 2003 after the United States invaded Iraq. After publication, people noticed that several civilians in the background appeared twice. Brian Walski, the staff photographer, was fired over the image. He was a 30-year veteran of the news business. Walski admitted on the phone while still in Iraq that he combined two of his photographs to “improve” the composition of the photo to make the sky look clear. His change completely altered the image and the direction his gun was pointing. It changed the complete meaning of the photo. As seen above, the original photo was of the British solder gesturing Iraqi civilians to seek coverage, not him pointing his gun at them.

This photo reinstates that we should not believe everything the news media tells / shows us. Technology has the power to completely reverse meanings and can make our mind interpret something that is very far from the actual truth. This photo is alarming…a picture really is worth a thousand words and we must always be wary of the media. I wonder how many other images like this have been publicized.

Power of the Eyes

Have you ever made eye contact with a stranger and felt an immediate connection? When I say connection, I do not just mean romantic chemistry. There are those eye connections where both people experience the immediate attraction to each eachother. We have all had it…even with our faces buried in our computers and cell phone screens as we check our Facebook’s and update our Twitter’s. Eye connection is something I feel many people take for granted. I truly do believe you can see a person’s true feelings by staring into their eyes. Why do you think people can tell when others are lying so easily? It’s because it is literally ‘written all over your face.’ Eye contact is often defined as a meaningful act and an important sign of confidence and social communication; it is the most important communication tool. It has to be controlled though, because too much of it and you come off as aggressive. Too little and you may appear to have no interest in the person speaking. Sales people, politicians, media figures and public speakers have mastered this and can connect to thousands and millions of people!

 

It is a shame to see young kids barely able to peer into each other’s eyes. They sit a mere two feet away, texting, instead of speaking face to face. Is eye contact that intimidating? I feel it is becoming a lost art. It can turn a simple introduction into a magical, lingering moment that dawdles in your mind for a few extra minutes. Eye contact is a powerful tool, as it creates a bond without words. Eye contact is most prevalent to me when people smile. I can distinguish a real smile and a fake smile in a matter of seconds. It does not matter how big or small your curve is across your cheeks or how many pearly whites you have showing; a true smile comes from the eyes. Without that spark, a smile is pained. Never underestimate the power of the eyes. 

PR Professional speaks at Cronkite

Steve Rubel, Executive Vice President of Global Strategies and Insights for Edelman Steve, spoke in the forum on November 21st about our culture becoming more digital and the pubic relations that surrounds our society that is heavily influenced by the media. He explained how clients identify strategies by what they do in press, creating their own content and social transmedia storytelling. He highlighted on the five big changes in the last seven years and compared what media looks like today and what it will look like. Rubel said the biggest and most obvious change would be in the web and the Internet; it will hold as much content as we throw out. The others include the fact that we live in a multi screen world, every company can be a media company, and stories are social and they can and will last forever. Three things that have not changed are the facts that time and attentions are infinite. We have a good story and content is king. Steve Rubel explained how people generate information and how they need to hear at least three to five times from three to five different sources in order for it to stick. To inform the public or affect behavior change, it is important to keep the stories alive as long as possible. Ruben’s speech aimed at ways we can adjust to the new media changes and can influence people through effective public relations. He emphasized on navigating through the various changes constantly taking place through a new media ecosystem, which includes traditional, hybrid, owned and social. Ruben’s speech was informative because he told us how to adapt and influence the social world through correct use of the media.

Michael Chow Photography

Michael Chow, a well-recognized photographer from the Arizona Republic, spoke at Walter Cronkite and discussed his biggest challenges and accomplishments of photography. Chow took his audience through his work in a series of photographs grouped into sports, events, people and tragedies. Chow went into great detail explaining how he likes to capture animate objects in pictures to bring them to life. He also explained the difficulty in capturing his amazing photographs. For example, he followed a fire fighter around for one shot and stood in the middle of a flood to capture two people struggling to make it out. Chow explained how one of the hardest things to cover is grief. He visually described a situation in which he had to go with a reporter to a family who had lost a loved one. He shot photos of them crying and felt uncomfortable but had to mentally separate his emotions to capture his picture. Chow has also put himself into danger situations when he snapped photos during the L.A. riots. Chow shoots a variety of things and explained that he tries to capture humor in photography. For example, he went to a nude resort and played with nudity by showing almost everything, but hiding certain ‘things’ in a playful manner. My favorite photograph of Chow’s was a raindrop with somebody’s reflection in it. One thing that surprised me about Chow’s speech was the difficulty photographers face. For example, he said he had an idea in mind and it took him about seven years until he could eventually capture it. Chow is a multi-dimensional photographer and was an excellent speaker as he opened my mind to the world and art form of photography.